Gator men's basketball players and team among Top NCAA stat leaders for 2016-2017
The Gators were ranked in 32 different statistical categories, while also standing in the Top 100 programs charted in 14 areas. Among the top national rankings for the Gators, Sage was 15th in forced turnovers (18.48), 21st in steals per game average (9.9), No. 22 in total steals (266), 29th in three point field goal percentage defense (31.0%), as well as 34th in both blocks per game (4.7) and field goal percentage defense (40.6%).
Three Sage performers were nationally ranked as well for their efforts this past season. 2016-2017 Sage senior co-captain and Skyline Conference All-Star First Team pick, Marcus Patterson (Bronx, NY/Mount Saint Michael Academy) was ranked in 10 statistical categories, while ranking 74th nationally in total field goals attempted (381) after wrapped his stellar athletic career 1,021 career points, the third highest total among all Sage men's basketball players. Patterson also ranked second all-time with his 552 rebounds in 102 career games played, which is also tied for second best all-time. He finished his senior season with 477 points, which is the most points scored in a single-season in the history of the squad. Patterson surpassed the single-season total of 468 points held by All-American Kai Deans (2014-2015). He averaged a team-best 17.7 ppg with a 7.5 rpg average in his 30.5 minutes per game.
He added 30 or more points three times, including a pair of 31 point showings. He earned seven selections to the Skyline Conference Weekly Honor Roll and scored double digits in all but three of his 27 games played and started this past season. He added eight double-doubles and was nationally ranked 111th with his double-doubles.
Junior center Thiago Conceicao (El Portal, FL/Westwood Christian) set a Sage single-game blocks record in the league's championship game. The eight block performance against Farmingdale State surpassed his earlier single-game record of seven blocks in a game. For the season, he led all Sage players with his 58 blocked shots, which is another Sage single-season mark. He bettered the record of 55 blocks in a season set in 2009-2010 by Marcus Hunter. Conceicao is already sixth all-time on the career block list after just one season at Sage. He finished the season ranked nationally in three categories, including 14th with his 2.64 blocks per game average. He was also 30th in total blocks as well as 76th nationally with his 3.0 offensive rebounds per game average.
Senior forward Rob Mills (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) was a two-year letterwinner at Sage having tallied 532 points in his time in a Gator uniform and ranked 10th all-time on the career scoring list. In the 2017 Skyline Semifinals, he penned his name into the Sage's single-game scoring record in the contest after he added a personal-best 36 point. He was ranked nationally with his 1.71 steals per game average, which ranked 159th in Division III.
