Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Picked Fourth in PL Preseason Poll
8/29/2002 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 29, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - With four starters and 13 lettermen projected to return to the hardwood this winter, the Bucknell men's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League in a preseason poll of head coaches and sports information directors, the league office announced Thursday.
The Bison garnered one first-place vote and 62 total points to rank a close fourth behind Colgate. The Raiders also notched a single first-place tally and 66 points. Defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross received 12 of the 16 top votes, and the Crusaders were pronounced preseason favorites with 96 points. American, with two first-place nods and 79 points, listed second in the poll.
Navy (57), Lafayette (44), Lehigh (26) and Army (18) round out the vote.
Senior forward Boakai Lalugba (East Orange, N.J./Bishop Francis Essex Catholic H.S.), who garnered All-Patriot League accolades for the first time in 2001-02, has been named to the preseason all-conference squad. One of the league's most explosive performers, Lalugba last season ranked third in the Patriot League in rebounding (7.1), sixth in scoring (14.9), third in field-goal percentage (.556), fifth in blocked shots (0.9) and tied for 10th in steals (1.3). He was Bucknell's leading rebounder in 16 of 29 games and the leading scorer in 14.
Lalugba enters his final season in Orange and Blue with 896 career points and 424 career rebounds, placing him well on pace to become just the 14th 1000/500 player in school history.
Joining Lalugba on the squad is preseason player of the year Tim Szatko of Holy Cross, Colgate's Mark Linebaugh, Lehigh's Matt Logie and American's Glenn Stokes.
In 2001-02 the Bison tied for third with an 8-6 Patriot League record (13-16 overall) and earned the No. 3 seed at the conference tournament. Bucknell fell to Holy Cross 64-57 in the tourney semifinals.
The Herd opens the 2002-03 campaign at Notre Dame on Nov. 22.
