Ryan Salzberg is one of seven players returning who saw game action last season for the Wildcats who will open as the No. 3 ranked team in the East Region

Men's Basketball Ranked 3rd In Preseason Regional Poll

11/23/2020 3:30:00 PM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College earned a No. 3 regional ranking as the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) released its Preseason East Region Men's Basketball Media Poll today. The poll is conducted by sports information professionals representing the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 Conference and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Daemen has been ranked in 32 successive D2SIDA regional polls dating back to January 2018, posting a 65-16 record over that span.

Daemen is coming off a 24-8 campaign - the Wildcats' ninth straight season with at least 19 victories and their second consecutive with 24, a benchmark for the program's NCAA Division II era. The Wildcats were set to make a second NCAA tournament appearance in as many years before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event's cancelation last March.

Veteran head coach Mike MacDonald sees his team near the top of the regional rankings despite losing four starters - Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.), Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.) - to graduation. The team's lone returning starter is a big one though, both literally and figuratively. Six-foot-nine redshirt senior center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) returns after averaging 24.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game while leading all of Division II with 22 double-doubles. He's a two-time East Region and East Coast Conference Player of the Year, and has already garnered Preseason All-American honors from Basketball Times.

While the supporting cast may feature some fresh faces, senior guard Kyle Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) will bring strong experience to the Daemen backcourt to compliment Sischo on the interior. After starting his career at Erie Community College, Harris appeared in all 32 games and made nine starts in his first season with the Wildcats, averaging 4.4 points and shooting 38% from three-point range.

Guards Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) and Da'Shawn Hines (Amherst, N.Y.), forwards Ryan Bradley (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and Ziv Basden (Nassau, Bahamas) and center Chris Luke (Cortland, N.Y.) also return for the Wildcats. Guards Trevor Book (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) and Patrick Higgins (Pennington, N.J.), as well as guard/forward Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) are poised for a return to game action following redshirt seasons. The Wildcats also feature a highly touted freshmen class that includes All-Western New York selections Juston Johnson (West Seneca, N.Y.), Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Tyler Hind (Randolph, N.Y.), and All-Greater Rochester picks Tony Arnold (Rochester, N.Y.) and Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.). Graduate transfer Sean Fasoyiro (Houston, Texas) is also in the mix and expected to be a major contributor after appearing in 81 games for Franklin Pierce University over the last three seasons.

Defending East Coast Conference champion St. Thomas Aquinas picked up all six first-place votes to sit as the unanimous choice atop the poll, and defending Northeast-10 Conference champion St. Anselm comes in at No. 2. Stonehill, Adelphi, Le Moyne, Jefferson, Dominican, Southern Connecticut State and Bridgeport round out the poll.

This marks the only East Region poll to be released by D2SIDA before the New Year. None of the East Region's 38 teams will compete until after January 1. Daemen is tentatively scheduled to open its season on Friday, January 9, but full details on the Wildcats' schedule are yet to be announced.

D2SIDA MEN'S BASKETBALL EAST REGION MEDIA POLL - PRESEASON
	W-L *	PTS.	PREVIOUS
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (6)	25-5	60	3
2. St. Anselm	21-8	51	4
3. DAEMEN	24-8	30	T7
4. Stonehill	18-11	29	5
5. Adelphi	18-11	23	RV
T6. Le Moyne	19-9	21	6
T6. Jefferson	27-4	21	2
8. Dominican (N.Y.)	25-6	18	T7
9. Southern Connecticut State	16-11	16	NR
10. Bridgeport	24-4	14	1

( ) denotes first-place votes
* denotes 2019-20 final record

Others receiving votes: Bentley (13), New Haven (13), Southern New Hampshire (8), Franklin Pierce (4), Molloy (3), Pace (3), St. Michael's (2), Assumption (1)

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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