UNCW Favored To Repeat As MBB Champs
Rob Washburn
ARLINGTON, Va. (October 25, 2016) – UNCW, which returns three starters from last year’s 25-win team, has been picked to repeat as CAA men’s basketball champions in 2016-17 according to a vote of the league’s coaches, media relations directors and media members. The results of the poll were announced during Tuesday’s CAA Basketball Media Day in Arlington, Va.
The Seahawks were followed in the voting by Towson, William & Mary and College of Charleston. Selected fifth was James Madison, followed by Hofstra, Northeastern, Elon, Drexel and Delaware.
UNCW is coming off a memorable 2015-16 campaign in which it tied a school record for victories (25-8), earned a share of the CAA regular-season title for the second year in a row, and captured the CAA championship and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. The Seahawks are led by senior guard Chris Flemmings, who earned first-team All-CAA honors after ranking seventh in the league in scoring (16.2 ppg) and leading the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Senior guard Denzel Ingram received third-team All-CAA accolades after contributing 12.7 ppg, knocking down a team-high 75 threes and dishing out 107 assists. Also back are sophomore guard C.J. Bryce (10.1 ppg), who made the CAA All-Rookie team, and junior guard Jordon Talley (8.5 ppg, 3.9 apg).
Towson welcomes back three starters from a squad that reached the 20-win mark (20-13) and advanced to post-season play for the second time in the past three years. Senior forward William Adala Moto was selected to the All-CAA second team after topping the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) and ranking third in the league in rebounding (8.3 rpg) in his first season with the Tigers. He’s joined up front by senior John Davis, who tallied 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Mike Morsell had a breakout campaign in 2015-16, contributing 13.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest to earn a spot on the All-CAA third team. Providing depth in the backcourt are junior Eddie Keith II (5.1 ppg) and sophomore Jordan McNeil (3.0 ppg).
William & Mary has posted three straight 20-win seasons (20-11) for the first time since 1951, and will look to extend that streak as three starters return. Senior guard/forward Omar Prewitt received first-team All-CAA accolades last year after ranking third in the league in scoring (17.8 ppg) on 49.3% shooting and adding 5.2 rpg. In the backcourt, senior Daniel Dixon knocked down a team-high 70 three-pointers and chipped in 12.5 ppg. Junior David Cohn made an immediate impact in his first year as W&M’s point guard, scoring 9.6 ppg and ranking second in the CAA with 4.6 assists per game. Junior guards Greg Malinowski (7.7 ppg) and Connor Burchfield (5.4 ppg) should step into more prominent roles.
College of Charleston has all five starters returning from last year’s 17-14 squad. Junior Cameron Johnson, who averaged a team-high 12.3 ppg and made the All-CAA third team, headlines a deep backcourt. Sophomore guard Marquise Pointer was a member of the CAA All-Rookie team after scoring 11.2 ppg and senior Payton Hulsey (5.5 ppg/5.6 rpg) was a CAA All-Defensive team honoree. They are joined by junior Joe Chealey (12.4 ppg in 2014-15), who missed last year due to injury. Up front, sophomore Jarrell Brantley was named CAA Rookie of the Year and to the All-CAA third team after scoring 11.7 ppg and ranking fifth in the conference in rebounding (7.3 rpg). Forward Nick Harris tallied 4.5 ppg and 4.1 rpg in his rookie season.
UNCW’s Flemmings was voted as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. He was joined on the preseason All-CAA first team by Hofstra junior forward/center Rokas Gustys, who scored 13.5 ppg and ranked second in the nation in rebounding (13.0 rpg), Towson’s Adala Moto, College of Charleston’s Brantley and William & Mary’s Prewitt.
Voted to the preseason second team were JMU senior guard/forward Shakir Brown (10.9 ppg/5.7 rpg), William & Mary’s Dixon, UNCW’s Ingram, College of Charleston’s Johnson and Towson’s Morsell.
2016-17 CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. UNCW (37 first-place votes) 361
2. Towson (2 first-place votes) 278
3. William & Mary (1 first-place vote) 275
4. College of Charleston 267
5. James Madison 227
6. Hofstra 207
7. Northeastern 136
8. Elon 134
9. Drexel 63
10. Delaware 52
2016-17 CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First Team Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
William Adala Moto, Towson Sr. F 6-7 245 Yaounde, Cameroon/Episcopal
Jarrell Brantley, Charleston So. F 6-7 245 Columbia, S.C./Notre Dame Prep
Chris Flemmings, UNCW Sr. G 6-5 180 Cary, N.C./Green Hope
Rokas Gustys, Hofstra Jr. F/C 6-9 260 Kaunas, Lithuania/Oak Hill Academy
Omar Prewitt, William & Mary Sr. G/F 6-7 195 Mount Sterling, Ky./Montgomery Co.
Second Team Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Shakir Brown, James Madison Sr. G/F 6-6 225 Baltimore, Md./Patterson
Daniel Dixon, William & Mary Sr. G 6-6 210 Great Falls, Va./Langley
Denzel Ingram, UNCW Sr. G 6-0 175 Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill
Cameron Johnson, Charleston Jr. G 6-4 196 Athens, Ga./Clarke Central
Mike Morsell, Towson Jr. G 6-5 215 Fort Washington, Md./St. John’s
CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Chris Flemmings, UNCW
Honorable Mention: Brian Bernardi, Sr., G, Hofstra;
CJ Bryce, So., G, UNCW;
Chivarsky Corbett, So., G/F, Delaware;
Yohanny Dalembert, Sr., F, James Madison;
Jeremy Miller, So., F, Northeastern;
Tyler Seibring, So., F, Elon;
Rodney Williams, Sr., F, Drexel