ROCK HILL, S.C. – After finishing tied for ninth in the South Atlantic Conference standings last season, the Anderson University men's basketball team has been tabbed to finish ninth in the league in a vote by the league's coaches, as released by the conference office Thursday morning.
"We understand that preseason rankings are completely based on how teams finished last season," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "Whether we were picked first or last, our mindset remains the same. We want to focus on the process of improving on a daily basis as a team and as individuals. With seven newcomers and five sophomores, it will take some time for us to reach our full potential. With that said, I like our team and am happy with the progress we have made thus far early in the season."
Sophomore Randall Shaw, the reigning SAC Freshman of the Year, captured Preseason Second-Team All-Conference accolades after earning a spot on the SAC All-Freshman Team and being named Honorable Mention All-South Atlantic Conference following last season. The Greenville, S.C., native ranked fifth in the league with his 19.8 points per game average and was the highest-scoring freshman in the conference a year ago.
Shaw began his collegiate career in impressive fashion by pouring in a career-high 31 points in Anderson's season-opening win over Armstrong State and posted double figures in the scoring column on 22 occasions, while reaching at least 20 points in 17 contests. The 6-foot-3 guard was 10th in the SAC with 68 treys on the season and stood 16th in the conference with 94 free throws.
The Trojans return four starters from last year's squad, while the fifth – senior Rakish Taylor – is undergoing rehabilitation for an off-season injury. Head Coach Jeff Brookman's roster also features five additional returning letterwinners and seven newcomers.
Lincoln Memorial was picked to win the 2017 title after picking up 11 top votes and received 121 points from the panel. LMU, the 2016 NCAA Division II Runner-Up, posted an overall record of 34-3 and a 22-0 record in conference play last season. The Railsplitters became the first team in league history to finish the season at 22-0 en route to winning both regular season and tournament championships. Lincoln Memorial comes into the 2016-17 campaign ranked No. 2 in the National Association of Basketball (NABC) Coaches' Poll.
Wingate and Queens tied for No. 2 in the poll with 100 points. The Bulldogs, who earned one top vote from the panel, advanced the second round of the 2016 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship after finishing the 2015-16 regular season at 23-10 overall and 16-6 in League play. Wingate made a run in the SAC Tournament and finished as the tournament runners-up.
Queens turned in an overall record of 25-7 a season ago to go along with a 17-5 record in SAC play. The Royals knocked off Columbus State in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship to earn a trip to the round of 32.
At No. 4 in the poll was Carson-Newman, which picked up 85 points from the head coaches. The Eagles went 16-13 overall and 12-10 in the South Atlantic Conference last season. Catawba followed with 82 points, landing in the No. 5 position. The Catawba Indians closed out their 2015-16 season at 12-17 overall and 10-12 in the SAC.
Newberry earned the No. 6 position with 74 points. The Wolves were 18-12 overall and 12-10 in the SAC a season ago. Lenoir-Rhyne came in at No. 7 with 61 points. The Bears advanced to the 2016 NCAA Division II Regional Finals after posting a 21-10 overall record as well as a 14-8 mark in the conference. Tusculum landed at No. 8 in the preseason poll, as it collected 54 points from the panel. Last season, the Pioneers went 14-15 overall and 9-13 in the South Atlantic Conference
Anderson was close behind with 50 points, followed by Coker with 31 points and Mars Hill who picked up 23 points. Brevard rounded out the poll as it notched 11 points.
Preseason All-Americans Luquon Choice of Lincoln Memorial and Charles Clark from Carson-Newman headlined the Preseason First-Team All-SAC squad. Choice canned a league single-season record 125 treys during the 2015-16 season, while connecting on 47.5 percent from beyond the arc and finished the season with 16.7 points per outing. Clark ranked No. 2 in the SAC with 21.6 points per game and was third in the league with 57 steals.
Isiah Cureton from Wingate, Sawyer Williams of Carson-Newman, Catawba's Jameel Taylor and Mike Baez of Wingate rounded out the list of Preseason All-SAC First Team Honorees. Cureton averaged 14.4 points per game last season, while Williams averaged 16.5 ppg. Taylor topped the Catawba roster with 17.3 points an outing and Baez finished the 2015-16 season with 13.3 points per outing.
Alongside Shaw, Catawba's K.J Arrington, Daniel Camps of Queens, Donte Samuels from Coker, Queen's Todd Withers and Keith Griffin from Wingate garnered second-team honors.
Anderson is slated to open the season, Nov. 11 versus Clayton State at the South Atlantic Conference/Peach Belt Conference Challenge in Charlotte, N.C.
South Atlantic Conference
2016-17 Men's Preseason Poll (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Lincoln Memorial (11) 121
2. Wingate (1) 100
Queens 100
4. Carson-Newman 85
5. Catawba 82
6. Newberry 74
7. Lenoir-Rhyne 61
8. Tusculum 54
9. Anderson 50
10. Coker 31
11. Mars Hill 23
12. Brevard 11
2016-17 SAC Men's Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
Isiah Cureton, Wingate
Sawyer Williams, Carson-Newman
Luquon Choice, Lincoln Memorial
Mike Baez, Wingate
Charles Clark, Carson-Newman
Jameel Taylor, Catawba
Second Team
Randall Shaw, Anderson
KJ Arrington, Catawba
Daniel Camps, Queens
Donte Samuels, Coker
Todd Withers, Queens
Keith Griffin, Wingate