UNCG picked fourth in SoCon North by league’s men's basketball coaches
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG was picked to finish fourth in the Southern Conference's North Division in preseason balloting by the conference's head coaches announced Thursday.
Appalachian State and Wofford are the favorites to capture the Southern Conference's divisional men's basketball titles in 2010-11, according to the vote by the league's head coaches. College of Charleston senior guard Andrew Goudelock was also named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year as part of the preseason all-conference team.
UNCG returns 2009-10 SoCon All-Freshman selection Kyle Randall, along with fifth-year senior Brandon Evans, sophomore guard Korey Van Dussen and sophomore forward Brian Cole. Coach Mike Dement also welcomes six newcomers to the lineup – the frontcourt of Cody Henegar, Aaron Brackett and Aloysius Henry and backcourt members David Williams, Drew Parker and Trevis Simpson.
Appalachian State, which returns three starters from last season, advanced to the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2009-10 after falling to Wofford in the conference tournament final. The Mountaineers earned nine first-place votes from the league coaches and finished the balloting with 64 points. Western Carolina earned the remaining three first-place votes in the North Division and finished with 52 points. Chattanooga (49) was chosen third while UNCG (31) was slotted fourth. Elon (29) and Samford (21) rounded out the North Division.
Last season's South Division and SoCon Tournament Champion, the Wofford Terriers were picked to repeat as division champions by the league's coaches. Wofford turned in its best season since moving to Division I with a
26-9 record a season ago. The Terriers earned ten first-place votes and 65 points. College of Charleston secured the remaining two first-place votes in the division and finished second with 54 points. Davidson earned 49 points to claim third place while The Citadel (29) was slotted fourth. Furman (26) and Georgia Southern (23) placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
In addition to the preseason polls, the coaches selected an all-conference team. Goudelock, who ranked second in the league in scoring last season (19.4 ppg), was joined on the preseason team by teammate Jeremy Simmons. Wofford and Davidson also had two players garner preseason honors. Davidson was represented by sophomores Jake Cohen and JP Kuhlman, while Wofford had the league's 2010 Player of the Year, Noah Dahlman, and Jamar Diggs named to the preseason all-conference team. Other members of the preseason team included Amu Saaka (Furman), Donald Sims (Appalachian State), Drew Spradlin (Elon) and Cameron Wells (The Citadel).
UNCG opens the 2010-11 season at VCU on Friday, Nov. 12. The Spartans' home opener is slated for Sunday, Nov. 14 against Florida State at 3:30 p.m. Season tickets for all 15 home games and special "Gimme 5" packs are on sale now, as are single-game tickets. Season and single-game tickets may be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. Details on the "Gimme 5" pack – a new mini-pack that includes UNCG's game Duke and four other games which are chosen by the purchaser – are available at www.uncgspartans.com or by calling 336-334-3250.
SoCon Men's Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
North Division
Team (1st Place Votes) Total
1. Appalachian State (9) 64
2. Western Carolina (3) 52
3. Chattanooga 49
4. UNCG 31
5. Elon 29
6. Samford 21
Team (1st Place Votes) Total
South Division
1. Wofford (10) 65
2. College of Charleston (2) 54
3. Davidson 49
4. The Citadel 29
5. Furman 26
6. Georgia Southern 23
2010-11 Southern Conference Preseason All-Conference Team
Jake Cohen, Davidson
Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Jamar Diggs, Wofford
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
JP Kuhlman, Davidson
Amu Saaka, Furman
Jeremy Simmons, College of Charleston
Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Drew Spradlin, Elon
Cameron Wells, The Citadel
2010-11 Preseason Player of the Year
Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston
- UNCG -