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Lock Haven, Pa. – Defending PSAC champion East Stroudsburg was slated to win the Eastern Division in the 2012 PSAC men's basketball preseason poll. IUP, the 2011 and 2010 PSAC champs, was selected to finish first in the Western Division.
The Warriors earned seven first place votes, while second place West Chester, who fell to East Stroudsburg in the championship game last season, was given one first place nod. Bloomsburg earned a playoff berth last season for the first time since the 2001-02 season and rang-in at No. 3 on the poll. Last season's preseason poll top slot in the East went to the Golden Bears of Kutztown, who earned fourth on the ballot for the upcoming season.
The race in the West was a little more contested than the East. IUP, deemed the west winner for the fourth season in a row, received three first place votes as did No. 2 Slippery Rock, with No. 3 Gannon and No. 4 Edinboro each bringing-in a single top vote.
Complete preseason polls along with Preseason All-PSAC teams and previews of each PSAC men’s basketball squad are below.
EASTERN DIVISION
Preseason Poll
1. East Stroudsburg (7)
2. West Chester (1)
3. Bloomsburg
4. Kutztown
5. Millersville
6. Mansfield
7. Shippensburg
8. Cheyney
Preseason All-PSAC East Team
|
Dontahe Jordan |
R-Jr., Bloomsburg, Williamsport / Williamsport |
|
Terrance King |
Sr., ESU, Bushkill / East Stroudsburg North |
|
Joe Bell |
So., Mansfield, Pottstown / Pottsgrove |
|
Duane Johnson |
Sr., ESU, East Lansdowne / Penn Wood |
|
John Breeden |
Sr., WCU, Harrisburg / Central Dauphin East |
|
Micah Fraction |
Sr., Kutztown, Macungie / Montrose Christian |
Eastern Division Team Notes
Senior guard Jason Shabb, the PSAC's top scorer last season, returns for the
Cheyney (4-22, 3-19) Wolves. Shabb averaged 20.3 points per game last season coupled with an 80 percent free throw rate to rank him within the top 10 in the league.
Shippensburg (10-18, 7-15) lost its top scorer in Will Royal and returns just two starters to the hardwood. However, sophomore Reggie Charles, who ranked sixth in the PSAC with 4.3 assists per game, will be someone that the Raiders look to as a playmaker for the squad in the upcoming season.
Joe Bell, the 2011-12 East Freshman of the Year, sunk 16.3 points per game for
Mansfield (9-17, 6-16) last season, while returner Chuck Harper enters his senior campaign having scored an average 13 points per game as a junior. The Mountaineers did not qualify for the PSAC playoffs last year after clinching a spot in each of the previous three seasons.
A squad of primarily juniors and seniors makes up this season's
Millersville (9-17, 7-15) corps. Larry Grant and Elijah Obade drained 13.9 and 11.5 points per game, respectively last season. Obade will also be crashing the glass for the Marauders, as he led the Eastern Division in 2011-12 with nearly 10 rebounds per outing.
Kutztown (18-9, 15-7), who headed into the playoffs last season as the top seed but fell in the quarterfinals, will have to find a way to replace the talents of the team's top scorer Devon McBride. McBride sunk an even 20 points per game, ranking him second in the PSAC. Returner Micah Fraction, who earned an average 16.1 points per outing last year and ranked ninth amongst the league’s top scorers, will lead a squad that is looking to qualify for the championship tournament for the 11th consecutive season.
Bloomsburg (19-9, 15-7) features three returning starters including the 2011-12 PSAC East Division Athlete of the Year Dontahe Jordan (15.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg). Lorenzo Christmas and Nnamdi Njoku will also be key contributors to the Huskies success in the upcoming campaign and played vital roles in ending Bloomsburg's nine-year postseason drought last year.
2012 PSAC runner-up
West Chester (19-10, 14-8) was riding an impressive 10-game winning streak before falling to East Stroudsburg in the title game to cap the 2011-12 season. John Breeden, a PSAC First Team honoree, alongside Carl Johnson and Corey Blake will lead the Golden Rams back into championship contention this season.
Defending PSAC Champions
East Stroudsburg (20-12, 13-9) is in the hunt for its third PSAC crown in program history as well as another berth into the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons. Duane Johnson, Whis Grant and Terrance King headline a Warrior unit that averaged nearly 80 points per outing in the 2011-12 campaign.
WESTERN DIVISION
Preseason Poll
IUP (3)
Slippery Rock (3)
Gannon (1)
Edinboro (1)
California Pa.
Mercyhurst
Clarion
Lock Haven
Preseason All-PSAC West Team
|
Luis Leao |
Sr., Mercyhurst, Brusque, Brazil / The Winchendon School |
|
Adam Blazek |
So., Gannon, Erie / Cathedral Prep |
|
Darrell Blanton |
R-Sr., Gannon, Cleveland, Ohio / Euclid |
|
Isiah Prince |
Sr., Edinboro, Pittsburgh / Imani Christian Academy |
|
Devin Taylor |
R-Sr., Slippery Rock, New Castle / New Castle |
|
Bryan Theriot |
Jr., Edinboro, Middleburg Heights, Ohio / Midpark |
West Division Team Notes
Four of
Lock Haven’s (0-25, 0-22) top five scorers return to the court as sophomores, who combined for 93 starts last season. Terrell Johnson posted over 10 points per outing last year and led his team in assists with 65. The Bald Eagles will feature a squad in 2012-13 that includes 11 players in their freshman or sophomore seasons.
Calvin Edwards, a
Clarion (15-13, 11-11) guard who drained over 13 points per contest a year ago, will partner with the team’s leading playmaker, Leonard Patterson, who racked-up a team-high 87 assists last season. With the addition of eight transfers, Clarion is hoping to surge up the PSAC standings and leaderboards.
In each of the last two seasons,
Mercyhurst (18-10, 15-7) has earned the No. 2 seed out of the Western Division, however, it will have to earn its playoff spot without some key contributors from a year ago. Luis Leao, a 2011 West First Team selection, pumped in over 15 points per game for straight two season and will be relied on to push his team into the playoffs.
California (17-12, 14-8) ranked third last season in the PSAC in opponent scoring and halted foes to less than 60 points on 10 occasions. The lone returning starter for the Vulcans, Quentin Harding with the other five returners to the roster combined for an average of over 32 points per game.
Bryan Theriot,
Edinboro’s (13-13, 11-11) leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago, missed out on the final nine games of the season due to an injury but will return healthy for the 2012-13 season. Isiah Prince and Jay Fletcher will also provide a shooting guard presence, as both returners enter the season coming off double figure scoring averages.
Gannon (14-12, 12-10) has brought back its top three scorers from a season ago which will certainly help it clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2010. Forward Darrell Blanton is coming off a season where he averaged 17.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing to rank sixth in the PSAC in both categories. Adam Blazek will also be a key contributor to the Golden Knights’ success, as the West Freshman of the Year generated 15 points per game and totaled 94 assists last season.
In the last four seasons
Slippery Rock (17-10, 14-8) has earned a PSAC Tournament berth on three occasions and is looking to be in the championship mix once again this season. Four starters are back to the hardwood for The Rock, headlined by West First Team selection Devin Taylor.
IUP (23-6, 19-3) is on its quest for its fourth straight Western Division title along with its ninth PSAC crown. The Crimson Hawks must replace the production of West Athlete of the Year Ashton Smith and fellow first team selection Julian Sanders. Returners Antony Wells and Marcel Souberbielle will assume the leadership of the IUP squad, as the two starters have been members of a IUP squad that has led the PSAC in scoring defense in each of the last two seasons.