CAA MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Towson
- UNC Wilmington
- Charleston
- William & Mary
- Hampton
- Monmouth
- Campbell
- Hofstra
- Northeastern
- Drexel
- Stony Brook
- Elon
- NC A&T
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 1ST TEAM:
-Tyler Tejada – JR, G, F – Towson
-Colby Duggan – JR. F – Charleston
-Cruz Davis – JR, G – Hofstra
-CJ Luster – SR, G – UNC Wilmington
-Dylan Williamson – JR, G – Towson
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 2ND TEAM:
-Mister Dean – SO, G – Charleston
-Jack Collins – SR, G – Monmouth
-LA Pratt – SR, G – Northeastern
-Collin O’Connor – SO, G – Stony Brook
-Chase Lowe – SR, G – William & Mary
COMMENTS FROMD DAVID:
-Towson was an impressive 16-2 in the league last year, which earned them a 1st-place finish, but they failed to win the conference tournament and advance to the NCAAs. Just two starters return, but they are two of the better players in the conference in Tyler Tejada and Dylan Williamson (who is a very good outside shooter). They also add two key players from the portal in Jack Doumbia (Wright State) and Tyler Schmidt (Valpo) who averaged double figures at the D-1 level a year ago. I think this Towson team will be good again, and I think Pat Skerry is a phenomenal coach who has done a great job with this program.
-UNC Wilmington had an amazing season last year with 27 total wins, which included winning the CAA Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Just one starter is back, which means they are in a bit of a rebuild mode, but they do have some key bench players who can step into bigger roles and some pertty impressive transfers in CJ Luster (Stony Brook), Jahnathan Lamothe (NC A&T), and Gavin Walsh (Binghamton). so they have guys who have been successsful D-1 players and who can step in to key roles for this year’s team.
-Charleston is starting completely over with all five starters gone from a year ago. Coach Chris Mack has his work cut out for him, but they have hit the portal and landed some proven guys who can step in right away. Colby Duggan (Campbell), Jlynn Counter (Middle Tennessee), and Mister Dean (USC Upstate) all averaged double figures a year ago and are expected to play key roles this year.
-William & Mary is coming off a 17-win season and a 4th-place finish, which is their best finish in quite some time. Just one starter is back for Coach Brian Earl, who had a great first year with the program last year, but the expectations are still high. They do return a couple of guys who saw key minutes last year, and add some players that fit into the tempo and style that they like to play.
-Expectations are high for Hampton this year. They were just 9th in the league a season ago, but they were playing better down the stretch, finished with 17 total wins for their first winning season in quite some time, and Coach Ivan Thomas has two key starters returning along with some pretty solid players out of the portal.
-Last year was a rough year for King Rice and Monmouth, but they were much better in the latter part of the season than they were in the beginning. They finished just 13-20, but won eight of their last eleven before losing in the conference tournament. Three key starters are back including Jack Collins, who brings a lot of experience to the team. Kavion McClain also transfers in from Texas Southern, who gives them experience and talent out on the perimeter. I think this Monmouth team can exceed expectations this year and be a bit of a dark horse.
-Campbell is caught in the same cycle that so many programs are now caught in, and that is retaining their key players from year to year. Just one starter is back from a team that had kind of a “meh” season overall, and with just two total returning players they are having to rebuild their roster. They do have some guys coming in that played key roles at D-1 programs a year ago, so all is not lost.
-Hofstra won just 15 games a year ago after winning 20+ in the previous three seasons. Coach Speedy Claxton has done a good job overall and is hoping to get things turned back around this year. Cruz Davis (who is one of the best guards in the conference) is back, and that is a huge plus. Biggie Patterson is also back from an injury, and they do return some guys who saw some quality bench minutes last year. I think Hofstra may be a little undervalued in the preseason poll.
-Northeastern has hit a bit of a rough stretch, but they won 17 games a year ago which was their best season in a while. Coach Bill Coen is entering his 20th season, and I am thinking this year’s team is being overlooked. They were plagued with injuries last year, yet still managed to win 17 games, and they have a lot of solid contributing players who are back and who are healthy. This is another team that I think could still be a real dark horse.
-Drexel had a respectable 18-win season a year ago, but just one starter is back and the expectations are not high for the Dragons this year. They do not have anyone that you would identify as a real go-to guy right now. It is certainly possible that someone will emerge, but it will likely be a long rebuilding year for the Dragons.
-Stony Brook won just eight total games last year and finished dead last in the league. Just one starter is back, and in some ways the roster overhaul may be what they need. They do have some decent-looking transfers coming in, which should result in some improvement, but I do not see them finishing in the top half of the league.
-Elon finished with their first winning season since 2017 last year, but with all five starters gone it looks like it may be a long rebuilding sesason for the Phoenix this year. They do have a solid point guard in Ja’Juan Carr, who is a transfer from UNCW, but they will need some other guys to step up if they want to repeat the success they had a year ago.
-NC A&T has only won seven games in each of the last two seasons, and all signs are pointing to them struggling again this year. Their roster seems to be completely lacking in guys that have been able to significantly produce at the D-1 level.
