Skidmore selected unanimous preseason favorite in 2015-16 Men's Basketball poll
With four starters returning from a team that captured the Liberty League championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship, Skidmore College has been selected as the unanimous preseason favorite to win the 2015-16 league title.
The Thoroughbreds, who received eight first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own teams), were picked first by the coaches with 64 points. St. Lawrence, which received 54 points, was picked second. Union (44), RIT (37) and Hobart (34) rounded out the top five.
Skidmore (20-8, 14-2 Liberty League) returns four starters and 10 players from a team that won a program-record 20 games last season. The Thoroughbreds are led by 2014-15 Liberty League Co-Player of the Year, senior guard Aldin Medunjanin, who averaged 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The sure-handed Medunjanin had 116 assists with only 51 turnovers while averaging 33.5 minutes per game. Senior forward Erik Sanders, an All-Liberty League second-team selection, also returns after contributing 14.6 points along with 5.2 rebounds last season. The Thoroughbreds will have to replace all-league first-team forward Connor Merrill, the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots who also ranks in the top ten in scoring and rebounding.
St. Lawrence (13-12, 7-9 Liberty League), which just missed a Liberty League tournament berth last season, returns an experienced squad that will contend with the league’s top teams. Graduated is All-Liberty League first-team selection Brady Condlin (16.5 points, 6.6 rebounds), but the team’s next seven scorers are all back led by junior guard Willie Zachery who averaged 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his first season with the team. Junior guard Kyle Edwards missed time early due to injury, but returned for Liberty League play and contributed 10.5 points. Junior guard Kyle Kobis connected on a team-leading 40 3-pointers in his role as the Saints’ sixth man.
Union (10-15, 4-12 Liberty League) has four starters returning as it seeks a Liberty League tournament berth following last season’s eighth-place finish. With seven of the top eight scorers returning, the Dutchmen have much to build on. Senior forward William Hython and junior guard Deshon Burgess averaged 15.9 and 15.1 points respectively. Hython also led the league in rebounding at 9.7 per game, finishing 1.6 per game ahead of the second-leading rebounding. Union had the league’s top scoring offense at 74.6 points but also allowed 75.5 points per game.
RIT (13-13, 8-8 Liberty League) was picked fourth after finishing in the same spot last season. The Tigers return their floor leader in sophomore guard A.J. Horde, the 2014-15 Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Horde led all league freshmen in scoring at 14.3 points per game while adding 3.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. Seniors Miguel Lopez and Kamron Davis along with sophomore Mitch Herman all averaged between 6.4 points and 7.9 points and will bolster the RIT offense. The Tigers must replace the scoring and rebounding of graduated senior J.P. Reagan (10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds).
Hobart (18-8, 13-3 Liberty League) graduated its top three scorers from last season and will feature an entirely new starting lineup. Graduated are senior guards Connor Rehbaum (15.3 ppg) and Trey Blanding (9.8 ppg, 4.7 apg), who earned All-Liberty League first- and second-team honors respectively. The Statesmen were faced with a similar situation the previous season when its top two scorers, including All-American Richie Bonney, graduated, but head coach Tim Sweeney guided Hobart to a second-place finish in his first season. The roster this season features six returning players along with eight freshmen. The Statesmen will be young to start the season, but will gain plenty of experience prior to league play.
Clarkson (20-7, 12-4 Liberty League) will have a much different look this season following the graduation of 2014-15 Liberty League Co-Player of the Year John Coleman. Coleman, the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, averaged a league-leading 17.1 points along with 6.0 rebounds while also leading the league with a .540 field goal percentage. Starters Charles McAllister, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, and Dylan Hodownes have also graduated. Together the trio accounted for 50.7 percent of the team’s offense. Senior guard Felix Abongo (13.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg), an All-Liberty League second-team selection last season, will lead the Golden Knights. With a roster that includes six freshmen, Clarkson will likely be more balanced offensively this season.
Bard (11-14, 6-10) had its most successful season since joining the Liberty League in 2011-12. Coming off a sixth-place finish, the Raptors will look to contend for a Liberty League tournament spot in 2015-16. Sophomore guard DeVahnte Mosley was an impact player for Bard as he averaged a team-leading 11.8 points and 2.6 assists en route to Liberty League All-Rookie Team honors. The Raptors graduated hard-working forward and 1,000-point scorer Siondueh Burnette, but return an experienced roster that is bolstered by seven freshmen. Junior guard Harry Johnson (7.4 ppg) and senior center Brandon Cunningham (7.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg) should continue to improve.
RPI (8-17, 5-11 Liberty League) will continue to improve under second-year head coach Mark Gilbride. The Engineers were a balanced offensive team last season with their top four scorers averaging between 11.1 and 12.6 points. Two of those scorers return in senior forwards Chase Almond and Tyler Gendron. Almond led RPI in both scoring (12.6) and rebounding (8.0) while Gendron contributed 11.1 points. Junior guard Nate Kane, the team’s top 3-point shooter (44 treys), provides offense on the perimeter. Six freshmen will also contend for playing time as the Engineers look to make a move up the conference standings.
Vassar (7-18, 3-13 Liberty League) lost in double-overtime in the 2013-14 Liberty League championship game and appeared to be a program on the rise entering 2014-15, but a career-ending injury to all-league guard Johnny Mrlik sidetracked the Brewers’ season. Vassar lost seven games by 10 points or less. The Brewers have turned the page on last season and are eager to return to contender status. Guard Erickson Waysl, the lone senior on the team, will lead a young team that features a total of nine players who are either freshmen or sophomore. Waysl averaged a team-leading 12.2 points while connecting on 62 3-point field goals – third-most in the league. Sophomore guard Jesse Browne averaged 8.3 points en route to All-Rookie Team honors.
2015-16 LIBERTY LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Skidmore (8), 64
2. St. Lawrence (1), 54
3. Union, 44
4. RIT, 37
5. Hobart, 34
6. Clarkson, 30
7. Bard, 23
8, RPI, 22
9. Vassar, 16
(First-place votes are in parentheses)