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Somerset, NJ -- A year after becoming the lowest picked team in league history to capture the Northeast Conference men’s basketball tournament title, Fairleigh Dickinson has been installed as the 2016-17 preseason favorite by league head coaches, narrowly edging out Wagner for the top spot.

The announcement of the annual preseason poll was made Wednesday morning during the fifth annual NEC Basketball “Social” Media Day at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. FDU collected six first place votes with defending NEC regular season champion Wagner earning the remaining four first place nods.

Bryant was picked third, followed by LIU Brooklyn and Mount St. Mary’s in a tie for fourth in the rankings. Robert Morris claimed the sixth spot, St. Francis Brooklyn was chosen seventh and Sacred Heart landed in the eighth position. Saint Francis U and Central Connecticut rounded out the poll.

Conducted annually, NEC coaches have only managed to correctly forecast the eventual league champion two times in the last 15 years.  Over the last 29 years, the coaches have proven inaccurate on 24 occasions or 83 percent of the time.
 

2016-17 NEC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll    1. Fairleigh Dickinson (6)    2. Wagner (4)    3. Bryant    4. LIU Brooklyn        Mount St. Mary’s    6. Robert Morris    7. St. Francis Brooklyn    8. Sacred Heart    9. Saint Francis U    10. Central Connecticut    First place votes in parentheses

Fairleigh Dickinson (18-15, 11-7 NEC - NEC Tournament Champion)
It was an improbable run for a team comprised of 11 underclassmen and not a single senior, but when the dust settled it was the Knights who lifted the NEC trophy for the fifth time in their history with an 87-79 win at top-seeded Wagner in the championship tilt. Greg Herenda returns all but one player from last season’s title winner as FDU enters the winter as the NEC preseason favorite for the first time in 11 years. A pair of preseason All-NEC picks are back in junior guard Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College) and junior swingman Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, MD/Archbishop Spalding), both of whom earned second team All-NEC status a year ago. Known for their ability to take - and make - clutch shots, the duo combined for 55 points in the NEC final with Potts Jr. earning Tournament MVP honors and Anderson a spot on the All-Tourney team. Potts Jr. was named the NEC’s Most Improved Player after lifting his scoring average from 6.6 ppg as a freshman to 14.7 ppg in his sophomore campaign, good for sixth in the conference. he shot 40.0 percent from three-point land and made a team-high 66 shots from downtown. Nearly impossible to contain off the dribble, Anderson ranked fifth in the conference with 15.2 points and 3.7 assists per game, and was second with 1.9 spg. Mike Holloway (Pittsgrove, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick), a sturdy, physical 6’7” power forward, was named to NEC All-Rookie team a year ago after contributing 9.4 ppg and 5.7 rpg over 30 starts as a freshman. Junior guard Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, MD/Bishop McNamara) (11.0 ppg, 3.1 apg) led the Knights in trips to the line last season.

Wagner (23-11, 13-5 NEC - NEC Regular Season Champion, NEC Tournament Runner-Up)
Wagner has been a perennial contender in recent years, finishing no lower than second in the conference standings in four of the last five seasons, culminating in the program’s second NEC regular season title in 2015-16. The Seahawks finished two games ahead of the field and reached their first NEC title game since 2006. A 79-75 win over top-seeded St. Bonaventure in the Postseason NIT gave the Green & White its first-ever postseason victory and capped a 23-win season for head coach Bashir Mason, now entering his fifth season at the helm. By implementing a suffocating defense and stressing the need to dominate on the boards - Wagner led the NEC in scoring defense and rebounding margin - Mason has given the Seahawks a true identity. Expectations are once again running high on Grymes Hill with a pair of second team All-NEC performers back in the fold in senior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated (San Jacinto CC)) and junior guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic). A true inside-outside threat and top flight athlete, the 6’5” Carey averaged 12.6 ppg, and finished with 9.1 rpg and 15 double-doubles to rank second and third in the NEC, respectively. Henson’s long distance marksmanship netted 74 three-pointers and a league-best 40.2 percent accuracy from long range. He posted a team-high 13.3 points per game to rank eighth in the league. With a knack for delivering in the clutch, versatile junior guard Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac (Mt. Zion Prep)) (9.8 ppg, 45 3PFG) along with burly senior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) (8.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) also figure to be key contributors as the Seahawks seek their first NEC title since the 2002-03 campaign.

Bryant (8-23, 5-13 NEC)
Following three straight season of finishing third or better in the NEC standings, Bryant had an off-year in 2015-16, but a return to form seems in order with a bevy of young talent at ninth-year head coach Tim O’Shea’s disposal. Sophomore forward/center Marcel Pettway (North Providence, RI/Hoosac School) took the league by storm last year, winning five NEC Rookie of the Week awards en-route to NEC Rookie of the Year honors. Pettway averaged 11.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg and shot a scorching 59.7 percent from the floor to rank second in the conference in field goal accuracy. He was joined on the NEC All-Rookie team by sharpshooting guard Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, MA/Boston Trinity), who pumped in 19.3 ppg over his last eight outings to wrap the season as Bryant’s leading point producer and the NEC’s top freshman scorer with 12.8 ppg. His 60 treys ranked second among league freshmen. Senior forward Dan Garvin (Bethel, CT/Bethel) (10.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg) is one of the league’s top big men and a superior interior defender who has compiled 119 career blocked shots. Junior guard Hunter Ware (Powder Springs, GA/North Cobb Christian) (12.7 ppg, 61 3PFG) is a perfect fit for Bryant’s free-flowing offense with his ability as a prime outside shooting threat. A pair of forwards from down under with experience will also see plenty of action with Bosko Kostur (Melbourne, Australia/Hallam Senior College) (4.3 ppg) and Gus Riley (Nelson, New Zealand/Nayland College) (3.6 ppg) both returning for their junior seasons.

Mount St. Mary’s (14-19, 10-8 NEC - Reached NEC Semifinals)
In his four years at the helm of the Mount St. Mary’s program, Jamion Christian has transformed the program into a year-in and year-out NEC title contender. His “Mount Mayhem” approach not only laid the groundwork for the team’s title run back in 2014, but also captured the imagination of the Mount faithful, who have come out in droves to support the program. A year ago, Mount St. Mary’s ranked among the nation’s best with a 79 percent increase in attendance with Knott Arena often playing to near capacity crowds. And with crowd favorite Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance) running the show, the excitement level should be at a fever pitch this season. Nearly impossible to guard off the dribble, the 5’5” point guard is the Mount’s top returnee in a host of categories, including scoring (12.5), assists (3.1), steals (1.2) and made three-pointers (50). The second team All-NEC honoree often teamed up with Chris Wray (Shelby, NC/Fishburne Military Academy) (5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg), a wiry 6’8” junior forward known for his high-flying acrobatics in transition. The Mount returns an experienced backcourt with sharpshooting senior guard Will Miller (Dallas, TX/Highland Park) (5.3 ppg, 49 3PFG), senior defensive specialist Khalid Nwandu (York, PA/Northeastern) (3.0 ppg) and sophomore Elijah Long (Mississauga, Ontario/John Carroll (MD) (5.6 ppg), who started 23 games as a freshman, all expected to vie for minutes. Look for Mount St. Mary’s to do what it does best: force turnovers at an alarming rate. A year ago, the Mount ranked third in the nation in turnovers forced and turnover margin.

LIU Brooklyn (16-15, 9-9 NEC - Reached NEC Semifinals)
LIU Brooklyn’s steady improvement the last two years has its devoted fans dreaming of another NEC title run. The Blackbirds reached the NEC semifinals last season for the first time since winning three straight NEC crowns from 2011-13, and hope to build on that success this winter. And with no shortage of talent in place and one of the league’s best players serving as the team’s anchor, those dreams could be fulfilled this coming March. While the Jack Perri led Blackbirds lost do-it-all guard Martin Hermannsson, who returned overseas to pursue a professional career, the fifth-year head coach has the luxury of sending out bruising redshirt senior forward Jerome Frink (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony (Florida International)) on a nightly basis. The lone returning first team All-NEC honoree in the conference, Frink ranked third in the NEC in scoring (16.6), fourth in rebounding (9.0) and double-doubles (10), seventh in three-point percentage (.378) and blocks (1.3), ninth in field goal percentage (.503) and 12th in steals (1.3). All signs point to a big senior year for the rugged and often-clutch Joel Hernandez (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck), a 6’3” guard who lifted his scoring average from 8.2 ppg to 12.0 ppg and ranked second on the Blackbirds with 6.1 ppg last year. Two-year starter and redshirt junior Nura Zanna (Kaduna, Nigeria/Coral Springs Christian (FL)) (6.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is back to man the pivot and senior guard Iverson Fleming (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) (4.9 ppg) is an experienced hand in the backcourt.

Robert Morris (10-22, 8-10 NEC - Reached NEC Quarterfinals)
If history has anything to say, then last season will be nothing but a blip on the raider for the formidable Robert Morris hoops program. Following an eight-year run of success unmatched in the history of the conference, including three NEC titles and seven trips to the postseason, the Colonials were hard pressed to find the right mix on the court in 2015-16 a year after hoisting the NEC trophy. Now entering his seventh season, head coach Andrew Toole has shuffled the deck in hopes of returning the Colonials to the top of the NEC hierarchy. Toole will hand the keys this season to senior floor general Kavon Stewart (Paterson, NJ/Hudson Catholic), a two-year starter at the point. Stewart set new career-highs last season with 9.2 ppg and 4.7 apg, and ranked second in the NEC with 1.8 spg. Versatile 6’6” guard Isaiah Still (Rahway, NJ/Union Catholic) comes off a promising freshman campaign that saw him average 16.1 points over his final eight games to post his season scoring mark to 9.9 ppg. Senior forward Billy Giles (Richmond, VA/Douglas S. Freeman (Allegany College of Maryland) and sophomore guard Matty McConnell (Oakdale, PA/Chartiers Valley) were welcome additions last season. With a nose for the hoop, Giles averaged 8.8 ppg and led the league in field goal accuracy at 60.6 percent, while McConnell emerged as a perimeter threat, 41 trifectas on the year. The Colonials will benefit from the return of resilient senior forward Aaron Tate (Cove City, NC/West Craven (Dodge City CC)), who sat out last year after suffering an early-season injury and whose contributions go far beyond the stat sheet.

St. Francis Brooklyn (15-17, 11-7 NEC - Reached NEC Quarterfinals)
After winning the NEC regular season title in 2014-15 and finishing as the regular season runner-up a year ago, there is a changing of the guard for seventh year head coach Glenn Braica and St. Francis Brooklyn. With four of his top five scorers lost to graduation, Braica will be looking to a host of newcomers to make an immediate impact in order for the Terriers to maintain their lofty NEC perch. One area where St. Francis Brooklyn looks to be set is in the backcourt with the return of New York natives Yunus Hopkinson (New York, NY/Lee Academy (ME)) and sophomore guard Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s). Hopkinson launched himself to stardom last season, boosting his scoring by by nearly 10 points to 12.2 ppg en-route to third team All-NEC accolades. He hit 75 shots from distance to rank second on the circuit. Following a promising freshman season that saw him average 6.0 ppg and shoot a robust 44.9 percent from beyond the arc, Sanabria’s sophomore campaign was cut short after six games due to a shoulder injury. A pair of Icelandic imports, sophomore Dagur Jonnson (Reykjanesbaer, Suournes Iceland/Fjolbrautaskolinn) (24 3PFG) and junior Gunnar Olafsson (Reykjavik, Iceland/Menntaskolinn vid Hamrahlid) (19 3PFG) give the Terriers even more firepower from long range. Braica will look to a bevy of newcomers to rebuild a frontcourt that lost  three-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year Amdy Fall and third team All-NEC honoree Chris Hooper to graduation.

Sacred Heart (12-18, 11-7 NEC - Reached NEC Quarterfinals)
Coming off its best NEC finish since the 2008-09 season, Sacred Heart is trending upward under fourth year head coach Anthony Latina. The Pioneers played their best ball down the stretch last season, winning seven of their last nine to earn a share of second place in the NEC with an 11-7 mark. While Latina will need to replace the scoring of NEC Player of the Year Cane Broome, Sacred Heart does bring back a bevy of talented players, none more so than the duo of redshirt junior forward De’von Barnett (Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist School) and sophomore guard Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph’s (Phelps)). On the edge of stardom, Barnett suffered a shoulder injury that cost him the 2015-16 season. As a sophomore, the high level athlete supplied the Pioneers with 10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg and shot 57.1 percent from the floor. McKnight fit right in last season, earning NEC All-Rookie recognition after winning the NEC Rookie of the Week award five times during the regular season. SHU’s leading returning scorer, McKnight had little trouble taking the ball to the hoop, averaging 11.4 ppg while snaring 5.3 rpg. At 6’7”, redshirt senior forward Matej Buovac (Zagreb, Croatia/La Lumiere School (New Mexico State)) gives the Pioneers a stretch-four. He sank 36 shots from three-point territory while netting 6.3 ppg in his first year with the program. Sean Hoehn (Morristown, NJ/Morristown (St. Thomas More)) (4.8 ppg) started 21 games as a freshman and proved to be a steadying hand in the backcourt. Junior guard Chris Robinson (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes) (4.8 ppg) will also see plenty of time in a young SHU guard core.

Saint Francis U (13-17, 9-9 NEC - Reached NEC Quarterfinals)
The last three years Saint Francis U fans have witnessed a transformation in men’s hoops under Rob Krimmel, with a number of four-year standouts lifting the program to new heights. From Earl Brown to Ronnie Drinnon to Greg Brown to Ben Millaud-Meunier, the Red Flash were in capable hands with two straight NEC semfinal appearances followed by a narrow loss to eventual champion Fairleigh Dickinson in last year’s quarterfinals. Now in his fifth season, Krimmel will turn the page as he presides over a young team with 11 underclassmen on the roster. SFU’s most experienced player is also the team’s floor general in senior point guard Malik Harmon (Queens, NY/Christ the King). Harmon has started 87 games in his first three years and while battling injuries last season still was able to average 8.0 ppg, 3.0 apg and hit 38 shots from long distance. Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) took the league by storm in his freshman season before the 6’1” guard was felled by a knee injury in early February. Blackmon, who became just the fourth rookie in league history to be named NEC Player of the Week in late January, shot 53.8 percent from the floor while contributing 9.7 ppg. Another freshman, Josh Nebo (Houston, TX/Cypress Lakes), earned a spot in the starting lineup became a DeGol Arena fan favorite with his aerial acrobatics and rim protection ability. Nebo, who averaged 4.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg, ranked second in the NEC with 1.9 blocks per outing. Junior forward Basil Thompson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) (7.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg) will look to fill some of the void with Drinnon’s departure and senior guard Georgios Angelou (Halkida, Greece/Lykeio Kanithou) proved deadly accurate from distance last season, making 47.4 percent of his three-point tries.

Central Connecticut (4-25, 3-15 NEC)
From one in-state legend to another, there has been a changing of the guard at Central Connecticut. With longtime head coach Howie Dickenman retiring after a 21-year stint that included three NEC titles, the door opened for former UConn star and 15-year NBA veteran Donyell Marshall to take over the reigns in New Britain. Since Marshall’s hire in April, the excitement in and around the program has been palpable with Blue Devils fans itching for a return to the glory days that routinely saw CCSU at or near the top of the NEC standings. Marshall will start the rebuild from the ground up with six freshman added to the roster in his first recruiting class. But the cupboard isn’t exactly bare for the Blue Devils. Senior guard Khalen Cumberlander (Washington, D.C./Coolidge) will provide a veteran presence on the young squad. Cumberlander averaged 10.8 ppg and 3.7 rpg while leading CCSU with 2.8 apg. He will be flanked by sharpshooter Austin Nehls (Tucson, Arizona/Cheshire Academy), fresh off a terrific freshman campaign that saw him earn NEC All-Rookie accolades. Nehls led all NEC freshman with 11.7 ppg and 71 three-pointers last season. He ranked second in the league with 2.5 three-pointers per outing and sixth with 38.2 percent accuracy from outside the arc. Junior point guard Kevin Seymour (Bronx, NY/Blair Academy) (4.3 ppg) has started 40 games over his first two years and posted the best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7) on the team last season. Rapidly improving junior forward Mustafa Jones (Harlem, NY/Cardinal Hayes) is the top returning big for the Blue Devils, having contributed 7.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg a year ago.

NEC Preseason Coaches Poll History (last 29 years)          
          
Year        Preseason Favorite                       NEC Tournament Champion
            (actual regular season finish)          (preseason selection)
 
2015-16     Mount St. Mary’s (5th)                   Fairleigh Dickinson (9th)
2014-15     St. Francis Brooklyn (1st)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2013-14     Wagner (2nd)                             Mount St. Mary's (6th)
2012-13     LIU Brooklyn (3rd)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2011-12     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2010-11     Quinnipiac (2nd)                         LIU Brooklyn (3rd)
2009-10     Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)                   Robert Morris (tie 3rd)
2008-09     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 2nd)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2007-08     Sacred Heart (3rd)                       Mount St. Mary’s (4th) 
2006-07     Monmouth (tie 8th)                       CCSU (tie 4th)
2005-06     Fairleigh Dickinson (1st)                Monmouth (2nd)
2004-05     Monmouth (1st)                           Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
2003-04     Quinnipiac (10th)                        Monmouth (3rd)
2002-03     CCSU (3rd)                               Wagner (2nd)
2001-02     Monmouth (4th)                           CCSU (4th)
2000-01     CCSU (tie 5th)                           Monmouth (3rd)
1999-00     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 7th)               CCSU (3rd)
1998-99     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 5th)               Mount St. Mary’s (1st)
1997-98     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
1996-97     Monmouth (3rd)                           LIU Brooklyn (4th)
1995-96     Monmouth/Rider (tie 2nd/4th)             Monmouth (tie 1st)
1994-95     Rider (1st)                              Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)
1993-94     Fairleigh Dickinson (tie 5th)            Rider (3rd)
1992-93     Wagner (2nd)                             Rider (3rd)
1991-92     Monmouth (tie 2nd)                       Robert Morris (2nd)
1990-91     Monmouth (4th)                           Saint Francis U (3rd)
1989-90     Fairleigh Dickinson (6th)                Robert Morris (3rd)
1988-89     Monmouth (3rd)                           Robert Morris (5th)
1987-88     *Marist (tie 1st)                        Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)

* Marist was ineligible for the NEC Tournament in 1987-88

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 36th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#22), Baltimore (#26), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.