| NEC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year | |
| Awarded For: | the best defensive basketball player in the Northeast Conference |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 2000 |
| Holder: | Jordan Derkack, Merrimack |
The Northeast Conference (NEC) Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year is an award given to the basketball player in the Northeast Conference voted as the best defensive player. The award was first given after the 1999–2000 season. Wagner has won the award the most, at six times[1] and Kenneth Ortiz of Wagner has won the award the most of any individual, at three times.[1] In addition, three players have won the award twice: Mychal Kearse of Mount St. Mary's, Tristan Blackwood of Central Connecticut, and Amdy Fall of St. Francis Brooklyn.[1]
| † | Co-Defensive Players of the Year | |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year award at that point |
| Year | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Rick Mickens | Central Connecticut |
| 2001 | Greg Nunn | St. Francis Brooklyn |
| 2002 | Courtney Pritchard | Monmouth |
| 2003 | Monmouth | |
| 2004 | Nigel Wyatte | Wagner |
| 2005 | DeEarnest McLemore | Wagner |
| 2006 | Mount St. Mary's | |
| 2007† | Central Connecticut | |
| Mychal Kearse (2) | Mount St. Mary's | |
| 2008 | Tristan Blackwood (2) | Central Connecticut |
| 2009 | Bateko Francisco | |
| 2010 | Mezie Nwigwe | Robert Morris |
| 2011 | Akeem Bennett | St. Francis Brooklyn |
| 2012 | Kenneth Ortiz | Wagner |
| 2013 | Kenneth Ortiz (2) | Wagner |
| 2014 | Kenneth Ortiz (3) | Wagner |
| 2015 | Amdy Fall | St. Francis Brooklyn |
| 2016 | Amdy Fall (2) | St. Francis Brooklyn |
| 2017 | Saint Francis | |
| 2018 | Chris Wray | Mount St. Mary's |
| 2019 | Jare’l Spellman | Sacred Heart |
| 2020 | Merrimack | |
| 2021 | Nana Opoku | Mount St. Mary's |
| 2022 | Wagner | |
| 2023 | Merrimack | |
| 2024 | Jordan Derkack | Merrimack[2] |
| School (NEC participation) | Winners | class=unsortable | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wagner (1981–present) | 6 | 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2022 | |
| Mount St. Mary's (1989–2022) | 4 | 2006, 2007†, 2018, 2021 | |
| St. Francis Brooklyn (1981–2023) | 4 | 2001, 2011, 2015, 2016 | |
| Central Connecticut (1997–present) | 3 | 2000, 2007†, 2008 | |
| Merrimack (2019–2024) | 3 | 2020, 2023, 2024 | |
| Monmouth (1985–2013) | 2 | 2002, 2003 | |
| Robert Morris (1981–2020) | 2 | 2009, 2010 | |
| Sacred Heart (1999–2024) | 1 | 2019 | |
| Saint Francis (1981–present) | 1 | 2017 | |
| Fairleigh Dickinson (1981–present) | 0 | ||
| Le Moyne (2023–present) | 0 | ||
| Long Island (1981–present) | 0 | ||
| Stonehill (2022–present) | 0 | ||