Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Picked Third in Patriot League Preseason Poll
10/29/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 29, 2009
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LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Patriot League held its annual men's basketball Media Day event at the ESPN Zone at Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Thursday. Second-year head coach Dave Paulsen joined the league's other seven coaches in meeting with the assembled media, and it was announced that the Bison have been picked third in the preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors.
Holy Cross was selected as the preseason favorite, earning 13 of the 16 first-place votes and 95 total points. Lehigh garnered the three remaining first-place nods and logged 78 points. Bucknell, coming off a seventh-place finish in 2008-09, was thirf with 63 points, followed by Army (59), Colgate (51), American (45), Navy (43) and Lafayette (14).
Lehigh's Marquis Hall was named Preseason Player of the Year and was joined on the preseason all-league team by teammate Zahir Carrington, R.J. Evans and Andrew Keister of Holy Cross, and Army's Cleveland Richard.
The Bison should be a much deeper squad in 2009-10. They return a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in senior Patrick Behan, an All-Rookie Team choice in sophomore Bryan Cohen, the reigning conference assists leader in junior Darryl Shazier, and the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year in Stephen Tyree, who is back after missing all of last season with a knee injury.
Bucknell opens the campaign Nov. 13-15 at the World Vision Basketball Invitational in Providence, R.I. The Bison will take on Mercer in game one on Friday, Nov. 13, followed by games against Providence and Bryant later in the weekend. The home opener is slated for Saturday, Nov. 21 against Saint Francis (Pa.).
