Men's Basketball Picked Second in ECC Preseason Tally
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2013) - Under the new regime of Head Coach Erik Smiles, the LIU Post men's basketball team was chosen to finish second on Thursday in the 2013 East Coast Conference Preseason Poll. The Pioneers earned 110 points and five of a possible 11 first-place votes.
LIU Post trailed only reigning league champion Bridgeport, which netted 115 points and six top nods. Molloy (91 points) was third, while Dowling and NYIT were separated by just two points to round out the Top-5. The Golden Lions accrued 80 points, following their ECC runner-up season. The Bears, on the other hand, tallied 78 points.
Queens (61 points) and Daemen (58 points) followed in sixth, and seventh, respectively. District of Columbia (48 points), Roberts Wesleyan (35 points), St. Thomas Aquinas (32 points) and Mercy (18 points) closed it out.
The Pioneers welcome back two of their Top-5 leading scorers from a year ago. Senior forward Vaughn Allen (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) averaged a near double-double, posting clips of 15.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, alongside a .525 (145-of-276) field-goal percentage. As a result, he was selected to the All-East Coast Conference first-team.
Junior forward Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) put together a strong sophomore season in 2012-13. He, like Allen, shot over 50.0 percent from the floor (.514). Williams also sported averages of 8.9 points and 7.9 boards per contest.
Smiles and the Pioneers open up the 2013-14 campaign next Saturday (Nov. 9), when they host Pace, as part of the LIU Post Tip-Off Tournament. Action is slated for a 4:30 p.m. start.
2013-14 ECC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Bridgeport (Six First-Place Votes) - 115 Points
2. LIU Post (Five First-Place Votes) - 110 Points
3. Molloy - 91 Points
4. Dowling - 80 Points
5. NYIT - 78 Points
6. Queens - 61 Points
7. Daemen - 58 Points
8. District of Columbia - 48 Points
9. Roberts Wesleyan - 35 Points
10. St. Thomas Aquinas - 32 Points
11. Mercy - 18 Points