Jeremy Chappell tonight begins his bid to make some Northeast Conference history.

Also tonight, Robert Morris begins defense of its NEC regular-season championship, playing St. Francis, N.Y., at the Sewall Center in the conference opener for both squads.

How successful the Colonials are in their endeavor probably will impact how successful Chappell is in his.

Chappell, a preseason all-NEC pick, has to be considered a strong candidate to win the NEC's Player of the Year award, which usually goes to a player on a winning team.

If Chappell does win it -- and because the Colonials' Tony Lee was the Player of the Year last season -- Robert Morris would become the first NEC school to produce different Player of the Year honorees in back-to-back seasons.

Chappell, who began this season as the league's top returning scorer and rebounder, definitely has a shot.

"If he's not the Player of the Year, somebody else is probably going to have to have a really special year to beat him out for that," said Mount St. Mary's coach Milan Brown, who has a strong candidate himself in junior guard Jeremy Goode. "[Chappell] is very, very good. There's really not anything he can't do."

"I think he's the premier player in our league -- much more so than just statistically because he can do a little bit of everything," Wagner coach Mike Deane said. "He rebounds. He defends. He can score. He can shoot 3s. He gets to the free-throw line. He really has become a complete player in a league where there are so few complete players."

In his career, Chappell, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from suburban Cincinnati, has amassed 1,389 points, 505 rebounds, 242 assists and 193 steals.

With eight more assists and seven more steals, he will join a very exclusive club. Only two other players in the 28-year history of the NEC have collected at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists and 200 steals.

Those two are Lee (2004-08) and Gregory Harris of Mount St. Mary's (1996-2000).

"Arguably, [Chappell] is the best player in the league," Central Connecticut State coach Howie Dickenman said. "He knows how to win. I thought his defense picked up last year.

"You can scrutinize tape, but you have to be some kind of detective to find a way of stopping him. He's good at everything."

"He's a special player who's had a special career," said Long Island coach Jim Ferry, whose Blackbirds visit the Sewall Center Saturday night. "He's just a matchup nightmare. Do you guard him with a guard? Do you guard him with a forward? He throws the game out of balance. His offensive package is a nightmare to match up because of his ability to spread the floor."

St. Francis, N.Y., coach Brian Nash has watched Chappell for three seasons, during which Chappell played in a bit of the shadow of Lee and A.J. Jackson, who rank sixth and seventh, respectively, on Robert Morris' career scoring list.

"It will be interesting to see how he handles having the 'X' on his back this year," Nash said.

Chappell -- and the Northeast Conference -- will begin learning that tonight.