GBC Men's Basketball Picked 2nd in Pre-Season CACC Coaches Poll

Lightning Men’s Basketball Picked 2nd in Pre-Season CACC Coaches Poll

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Goldey-Beacom College men’s basketball team, coming off its best season in school history last year with 19 wins, is picked to finish second in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division in the 2010 pre-season coaches poll.

In a vote of the league’s 13 head coaches, last year’s CACC runner-up Lightning earned 65 points and one first-place vote. Philadelphia University, last year’s regular season conference champion with a record of 16-1 in league play, was picked to repeat this year as the Rams earned 77 points and 12 first-place votes. 

GBC, who was the only CACC team to beat Philadelphia during the regular season last year, features returnees such as All-CACC second team pick, senior forward Terrence Parkes (8.2 rpg) and All-CACC honorable mention guard/forward Sam McDuffie (14.2 ppg). Last year, the Lightning were just one win why of the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid, falling just short of their first CACC championship with an 84-79 loss to Felician in the title game.

Eighth-year head coach Chuck Hammond, who is just 11 wins away from his 100th career coaching win at GBC, has also brought in a talented transfer from University of Baltimore County in Rich Fleming, and the 2010 Suburban One League Continental Conference player of the year, A.J. Picard from Souderton High School.

The pre-season favorite PhilaU lost four multi-year starters from last year’s team which became the first CACC team to reach the NCAA East Region Tournament final. The new-look Rams feature returnees sophomore guard Jimmy Connolly and junior forwards JJ Grundy and Corey Francisco. The team will also look for contributions from newcomers, particularly 7-foot center Temi Abedayo, who transferred from Division I St. Joseph’s University.  Herb Magee, the NCAA’s all-time leader in victories, will be back for his 44th season at the helm.

Chestnut Hill College was tabbed third in the South and is followed by the University of the Sciences, Wilmington University and Holy Family University.

In the North Division, Bloomfield College topped the list with 83 points in the poll and six first-place votes. The Deacons were just one point ahead of last year’s CACC Tournament champion, Felician College. The Golden Falcons earned seven first-place nods.

Bloomfield, who was ousted in the semifinals last year by Goldey-Beacom on a last-second fadeaway shot by senior Kyle White, will be returning seven players from last year’s squad, included All-American guard Gage Daye, the reigning CACC player of the year.

Felician, who knocked off PhilaU. and GBC en-route to its first CACC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, return all-conference selections Devon Young and Antoine Obery. Young was last year’s CACC Tournament most valuable player.

Dominican College was picked third in the North, followed by Post University, Nyack College, Caldwell College and Concordia College.

The Lightning tip off the 2010-11 season on Sat., Nov. 13 when they host Franklin Pierce at the Jones Center at 2 p.m.