Delaware Selected As CAA Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite; Drexel's Camren Wynter Named Preseason Player Of The Year

Delaware Selected As CAA Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite; Drexel's Camren Wynter Named Preseason Player Of The Year

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Miles McQuiggan

RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 28, 2021) – While six teams received at least one first-place vote in the CAA’s preseason poll of men’s basketball coaches and media, it was Delaware that collected more than half of them, as the Blue Hens were tabbed as preseason favorites in what promises to be an entertaining conference race in 2021-22.
 
Drexel’s Camren Wynter was selected by voters as Preseason Player of the Year after a 2020-21 campaign in which the Dragons guard averaged 16.3 points and 5.2 assists per game to lead Drexel to its first CAA title. Wynter is joined on the All-CAA preseason first team by Dylan Painter of Delaware, Drexel teammate James Butler, Elon’s Hunter McIntosh, and Hofstra’s Jalen Ray.
 
Three additional CAA teams were represented on the All-CAA preseason second team, as Delaware’s Ryan Allen was joined by Vado Morse of James Madison, the Northeastern duo of Jahmyl Telfort and Shaquille Walters, and 2021 Rookie of the Year Connor Kochera of William & Mary.
 
Six CAA teams received a first-place vote in the preseason poll with Delaware earning 19 of 36 first-place selections. Northeastern was picked second with seven votes for first place, while defending CAA champion Drexel finished third in the voting with five first-place picks. James Madison (3), Hofstra (1), and Elon (1) finished fourth through sixth while also receiving votes to finish first. Charleston was selected seventh, while Towson, UNCW, and William & Mary rounded out the preseason poll.
 
Delaware returns all five starters from last year’s Blue Hens squad, led by first-team All-CAA selection Dylan Painter, who averaged a double-double (13.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg) a year ago. Ryan Allen ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring at 15.3 ppg, while Kevin Anderson added 12.4 ppg. Head coach Martin Ingelsby adds A10 transfer Jameer Nelson Jr., who was a double-digit scorer in 2019-20. Delaware opens the year at Davidson and will face Iona in a mid-major showdown at the new UBS Arena on Long Island in December.
 
Northeastern has played in eight CAA semifinals in the last nine years, which is a run the Huskies look to continue in Bill Coen’s 16th season. Jahmyl Telfort (11.8 ppg) was CAA Sixth Man of the Year in 2020-21, and teams up with Shaquille Walters (10.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) for a potent one-two punch. Former UNCW guard Joe Pridgen joins the team at Matthews Arena after averaging 12.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last year. The Huskies begin their season at Colgate and host three A10 opponents in Boston, including No. 23 St. Bonaventure in December.
 
Drexel’s run from the 6-seed in the CAA tournament to win the conference title earned the Dragons a third-place selection and two spots on the All-CAA preseason first team. Camren Wynter was a first-team All-CAA honoree a year ago and James Butler (12.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg) earned third-team honors. Zach Spiker adds a pair of transfers who scored in double figures a year ago with Melik Martin and Trevion Brown joining the Dragons. Drexel will be home for its season opener before a Sunday night showdown at Syracuse November 14.
 
James Madison captured a share of the CAA regular-season title for the first time in 21 years despite being picked ninth in last year’s preseason poll. Player of the Year Matt Lewis has graduated, but Mark Byington returns All-CAA honoree Vado Morse, who contributed 14.4 points per game a year ago. Justin Amadi was an all-rookie selection for the Dukes, while two former Rookie of the Year honorees in other conferences – Tyree Ihenacho (Summit League) and Takal Molson (MAAC) – arrive in Harrisonburg. JMU opens the year at home and hosts No. 25 Virginia on December 7 on CBS Sports Network.
 
Hofstra returns first-team All-CAA honoree Jalen Ray in the first season as head coach for alum Speedy Claxton. The 2020 CAA champions welcome back Caleb Burgess and CAA all-rookie honoree Kvonn Cramer, while welcoming in former MAAC Rookie of the Year Aaron Estrada and Zach Cooks, who averaged 17 points per game at NJIT. The Pride opens the year at No. 15 Houston, one of three preseason top-25 opponents on the non-conference docket.
 
Elon made it to the CAA title game as the 8-seed in 2021 and returns much of the talent that earned the Phoenix a spot in the final. Hunter McIntosh was a second-team All-CAA recipient and Darius Burford collected all-rookie honors a year ago, while Mike Schrage regains the services of two players who lost most or all of their seasons to injury with the returns of Zac Ervin and Jerald Gillens-Butler. Elon opens the season at Florida, one of at least five high-major opponents on the schedule this winter.
 
Charleston welcomes a multitude of new faces, including head coach Pat Kelsey, who arrives in the Lowcountry after a successful run at Winthrop. Brenden Tucker and Osinachi Smart return to Charleston, while the offense will be bolstered by the additions of 25 point-per-game scorer John Meeks from Bucknell and Division II All-America honoree Dalton Bolon. The Cougars open the year with a multi-team event before welcoming No. 19 North Carolina to TD Arena in a CBS Sports Network game on November 16.
 
Towson looks to turn the page from a start-and-stop season a year ago, as Pat Skerry’s squad has added offensive options going into the winter. The returns of Nicolas Timberlake, Jason Gibson, and CAA all-defensive honoree Charles Thompson are strengthened by All-OVC guard Cam Holden and fellow transfers Terry Nolan Jr. and Antonio Rizzuto. The Tigers open the year at UAlbany, head to Las Vegas for a multi-team event, and visit No. 17 Ohio State.
 
UNCW was limited to the fewest conference games of any Division I team to complete its season; Takayo Siddle will surely look forward to a more typical schedule in his second season. Mike Okauru returns after an All-CAA campaign, while Jaylen Sims averaged 17.8 ppg. Shykeim Phillips, who was limited to two games a year ago, and Jaylen Fornes, who returns as a grad transfer after a stint at Nicholls State, return to the court in Wilmington. UNCW opens the year at Illinois State and visits Pitt later in November.
 
William & Mary welcomes back the reigning CAA Rookie of the Year in Connor Kochera for Dane Fischer’s third season in Williamsburg. Kochera’s 13.8 ppg were backed up by Quinn Blair’s 11.7 and Yuri Covington’s 9.5 per night as that trio returns and is joined by Division II all-conference honoree Brandon Carroll as a grad transfer. William & Mary opens the year at Wake Forest and plays in a multi-team event at High Point.
 
The 2021-22 season tips off Tuesday, Nov. 9 with seven of 10 CAA teams in action. Conference play will begin December 29 and run through February 26 before the CAA Championship March 5-8 in Washington, D.C.
 
2021-22 CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
    Team (1st)                                     Points
  1. Delaware (19)                                 296
  2. Northeastern (7)                            246
  3. Drexel (5)                                          234
  4. James Madison (3)                         224
  5. Hofstra (1)                                       211
  6. Elon (1)                                              202
  7. Charleston                                       148
  8. Towson                                             93
  9. UNCW                                               64
  10. William & Mary                               62
 
2021-22 CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First Team                                                              Cl.          Pos.       Ht.          Hometown/High School (Last)
James Butler, Drexel                                            Gr.          F             6-8        Fairfax Station, Va. / Lake Braddock (Navy)
Hunter McIntosh, Elon                                        Jr.           G            6-2        Snellville, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian
Dylan Painter, Delaware                                     Gr.          F             6-10      Hershey, Pa. / Hershey (Villanova)
Jalen Ray, Hofstra                                                 Gr.          G            6-2        Hampton, Va. / Hampton
Camren Wynter, Drexel                                      Sr.          G            6-2        Hempstead, N.Y. / Holy Trinity
 
Second Team                                                         Cl.          Pos.       Ht.          Hometown/High School (Last)
Ryan Allen, Delaware                                          R-Sr.     G            6-5        Williamsport, Pa. / St. John Neumann
Connor Kochera, William & Mary                     So.         G            6-5        Arlington Heights, Ill. / Saint Viator
Vado Morse, James Madison                            Sr.          G            6-0        Suitland, Md. / Suitland (Mount St. Mary’s)                                               
Jahmyl Telfort, Northeastern                            So.         G            6-7        Boucherville, Quebec / New Hampton School
Shaquille Walters, Northeastern                      R-Sr.     G            6-6        London, England / City of London Academy (Santa Clara)
 
Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year
Camren Wynter, Drexel
 
Honorable Mention:
John Meeks, Gr., F, Charleston; Kevin Anderson, R-Sr., G, Delaware; Jameer Nelson Jr., Jr., G, Delaware; Jerald Gillens-Butler, R-Sr., G/F Elon; Kvonn Cramer, R-So., F Hofstra; Takal Molson, Gr., G, James Madison; Mike Okauru, Gr., G, UNCW; Jaylen Sims, Sr., G, UNCW
 
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