The 6-foot-6 sophomore center from Quincy has had an “amazing’’ career at Suffolk, according to head coach Adam Nelson, starting with his selection as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Rookie of the year last season and continuing this season as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder with 14 double-doubles in 22 games.

“Pep played on a great BC High team, but wasn’t highly recruited,’’ said Nelson. “He has worked hard to make himself one of the best post players in New England.’’

Cut from the freshman team at BC High, Pepdjonovic did not make the varsity until his senior year, when he was a top reserve off the bench.

“I never would have thought I’d be a starting center on a college team three years ago, but I worked very hard last year and over the offseason and I think I’ve improved my post moves,’’ he said. “Being named Rookie of the Year for our conference also made me more confident and made me work harder to live up to the honor. Deep inside, I had the feeling I had it in me to reach this level because of my athleticism and a knack for being around the ball.’’

His 12.7 rebounds per game rank Pepdjonovic fourth nationally in Division 3. With three games left in the regular season, he has 696 career points and 570 rebounds.

“Numbers aside, he is definitely our hardest worker,’’ added the coach. “He is the first one in the gym every day to get shots, and works just as hard in the weight room. He gets better and better every day in practice.’’

With Pepdjonovic, who was averaging 16.8 points per game going into last Tuesday’s contest against Emerson, on board for two more seasons, Nelson has the building block to improve on this season’s 6-16 record, (including 4-11 in the GNAC).

Going into this week’s schedule Pepdjonovic was leading the GNAC in rebounding and was in the top ten in scoring, field-goal percentage, and blocks. His previous two games were two of his best of the season: 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists against Johnson and Wales, and 24 points and 15 rebounds vs. Mount Ida.

“He really is a special player at this level,’’ added Nelson. “It’s scary to think how good he’s going to be. I have never seen anyone rebound the ball like he does and he’s playing with more and more confidence. Last year, he had only one dunk; this year, he’s had 24 and some were highlights. Players like him do not come around too often. He will leave Suffolk as one of our all-time leading scorers and rebounders.’’

A third-team all-conference pick last season, when he averaged 13 points and 11.6 rebounds per game and had 12 double-doubles, Pepdjonovic played basketball, volleyball, and football at BC High.

Shellington lifts Trinity hockey team The Trinity College men’s ice hockey team was going nowhere last month before senior forward Ben Shellington of Hanover ignited a five-game winning streak. His goal with 1.5 seconds to play gave the Bantams a 5-4 victory over New England College on Jan. 29 to start the streak.

Trinity was 10-8-3 overall and 8-7-1 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) going into Tuesday’s outdoor game against in-state conference rival Wesleyan at the University of Connecticut.

Through last weekend, it was the only goal of the season for Shellington, a graduate of Noble and Greenough School in Dedham. However, Trinity head coach Dave Cataruzolo said the lone goal is not a reflection of Shellington’s importance.

“That goal really gave us a boost of confidence and got us on a roll, but Ben does a lot of good things for us. He’s one of our best defensive forwards and faceoff specialists and we rely on him in late-game situations,’’ said Cataruzolo. “We put Ben at left wing with 20 seconds to play against New England College and he went right to the net and scored.

“It couldn’t have happened to a better guy or better teammate. Ben practices hard and pushes the other guys. I wish there were more players like him.’’

Also on the roster: junior forward Sean McCarthy of Duxbury (Roxbury Latin), who had 5 goals and 3 assists; and freshman defenseman Larry Bero of Foxborough and sophomore forward Matt Morin of Westwood, both of whom played at Xaverian.

“Sean has scored some big goals for us and he combines speed with his one-on-one ability with the puck. He also plays the power play and kills penalties,’’ added Cataruzolo. “Larry scored his first collegiate goal last weekend that opened the scoring in our 3-1 win at Colby and has great stick skills. He’s just rounding back into form after an injury and we’re counting on his development down the stretch, and Matt has a high skill set and is a very good athlete who’s been a solid and important presence in our locker room.’’

Peila honored by Conn. College Plymouth resident Katherine Grinnell Peila (Class of 1989) was inducted into the athletic hall of fame at Connecticut College last Saturday night. In addition to setting several school records in track and field, she was a three-time conference champion and was nationally ranked among the top 20 hammer throwers in Division 3.

Peila, who qualified for the ECAC Division 3 Championships all four years in the discus and hammer, is now senior vice president and director of projects and applications management for Boston Private Bank & Trust Co. Her husband, John, teaches at Plymouth South High and is the school’s varsity baseball coach and defensive coordinator for the football team.

Here and there Babson College sophomore Sarah Collins of Weymouth has been named the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after averaging 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals per game in two games. . . . Brendan Corcoran of Walpole, a sophomore at Westfield State University, was named Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track Co-athlete of the Week. Corcoran set a conference record while winning the 800 meters in 1:58.15 to help Westfield record its fifth consecutive MASCAC championship. . . . MASCAC’s weekly women’s basketball honor roll included Bridgewater State senior guard Corey Cuddihy of Scituate, who averaged 15.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists over a 3-game span.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@rcn.com.