2018-19 ECC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
Rank	School	Pts.	2017-18 Record
1	Bridgeport (5)	95	25-6, 17-1 ECC
2	DAEMEN (5)	94	22-8, 15-3 ECC
3	St. Thomas Aquinas	74	26-7, 15-3 ECC
4	Molloy	73	9-21, 7-11 ECC
5	Dist. Columbia	53	7-20, 5-13 ECC
6	Roberts Wesleyan	51	14-14, 7-11 ECC
7	Queens	38	9-16, 7-11 ECC
8	NYIT	31	5-25, 3-15 ECC
9	Mercy	24	10-19, 5-13 ECC
10	LIU Post	17	11-18, 9-9 ECC
( ) - first place votes

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team has been picked second in the East Coast Conference preseason poll which was released today from conference headquarters in West Babylon, N.Y. following a vote of the league's 10 head coaches.

Daemen garnered 94 points in the poll voting, one back of the University of Bridgeport which placed first in the poll after winning the ECC regular season title and advancing to the NCAA tournament last season. Both Daemen and Bridgeport received five first-place votes in the poll. 

Led by veteran head coach Mike MacDonald, Daemen went 22-8 overall and 15-3 in league play last season, marking the team's seventh straight season with at least 19 victories. MacDonald guided the Wildcats to their third straight ECC Championship berth, advancing to the semifinal round, as well as being ranked as high as fifth in the East Region. Now in his fifth season with the program, MacDonald has led Daemen to an 81-37 record. He enters his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach just 13 wins shy of 350 for his career. 

Expectations are high as the Wildcats return 13 players, including all five starters. Daemen is ranked 22nd in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll, while MacDonald's squad is also receiving votes in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) preseason polls.  

The group of returners is undoubtedly headlined by 6-foot-9 sophomore center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.), the 2017-18 ECC Rookie of the Year and a first team All-ECC selection. Sischo was downright dominant on the interior last season as he led the team in points (462), points per game (15.4), made field goals (195), field goal percentage (56.5%), rebounds (261), rebounds per game (8.7) and blocked shots (25). 

Redshirt junior forward Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.), a third team All-ECC selection, also returns to the Wildcat frontcourt. The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter averaged 11.2 points per game while knocking down a team-high 69 three-pointers last season. With just two seasons under his belt, Redband already ranks ninth in team history with 137 three-point field goals to his name. 

In the backcourt, the Wildcats retain the services of senior Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y.), redshirt junior Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) and junior Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). Garvin was named the team's MVP after averaging 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Only Sarkis (1,056 minutes) logged more minutes than Garvin's 1,022, and the latter opens his final campaign with 86 games and 70 starts under his belt. Speaking of Sarkis, he enjoyed his finest season to date, averaging 12.4 points and 3.5 assists per game with 68 three-pointers en route to third team All-ECC honors. Harris' insertion into the starting lineup coincided with the Wildcats' run of 16 wins in their final 17 regular season games. He also earned third-team All-ECC honors after averaging 9.6 points per game and finishing second in the league with 70 steals.

Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) and Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) are also set to return to the fold. Hamilton was averaging a team-high 15.1 points through the first 10 games before being lost for the season. Petrucelli suffered the second season-ending injury of his career after appearing in just two games last season. He'll be looking to regain the form that had him averaging 9.9 points per game in 2015-16. 

The Wildcats will get their season underway this weekend when they host the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC; the Wildcats take on Caldwell University in the opener (Friday, Nov. 9, 1:30 p.m.), and face Nyack College in the event's capper (Saturday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m.). ECC play gets underway on Dec. 5 when the Wildcats go for their 16th consecutive win against longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan College. 

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