Tuesday,
November 14, 2006
MORAVIAN MEN’S BASKETBALL SQUAD PICKED
EIGHTH IN COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE PRESEASON COACHES POLL
ANNVILLE, PA --- The Moravian College men’s basketball team
has been selected to finish eighth in the Commonwealth Conference
in the 2006-07 Commonwealth Conference Preseason Poll conducted
by the conference coaches. Widener University was picked to win
the conference.
Head coach Jim Walker, who enters his 27th season
at the school, has 11 letterwinners and three starters back from
last year's 9-16 squad.
Walker is looking at junior guard Ryan
Miller (Easton, PA/Easton HS) to impact the Greyhounds.
Miller led the team with three-pointers with 42.
He averaged 9.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game and contributed
23 steals, and 47 assists. Junior forward Mark Franzyshen
(Somerset, NJ/Immaculata HS) is also expected to be a part
of Moravian’s winning equation. Last season he averaged 7.6
points and 3.9 rebounds per game while adding 13 assists, 17 steals,
ten blocked shots and two three-pointers.
Seniors guard Mike Clemente (Toms River, NJ/Central Regional
HS), and forward Matt Devlin (Sadsburysville, PA/Coatesville
HS) will both contest for starting positions, and as the
only two seniors returning from last year’s season, Walker
expects both to make contributions. Last season, Clemente
put up 5.8 points per game. He also had 54 rebounds, 50 assists,
24 steals, two blocks, and 33 three-pointers. Devlin
added 5.4 points and led the team with 4.4 rebounds per game. He
had 17 assists, 15 steals, five three-pointers and 23 blocked shots.
Junior forward Chris Earley (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan HS)
also comes into the 2006-2007 season with a lot of potential.
Last year he contributed 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while
adding 18 assists, 12 steals, 12 blocks, and six three-pointers.
Junior returning starter Steve Wenderfer (Chester, NJ/Mendham
HS), who had led the 2004-2005 team in rebounds with an
average of 7.5 per fame and was second on the team in scoring with
13.1 points per game, missed all but the first half of the first
game in 2005-06 due to an injury.
The Greyhounds will begin their season facing Emerson (MA) College
at the New York University Tip-Off tournament
2006-07 Commonwealth Conference Men’s
Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Points |
1. |
Widener University (7) |
56 |
2. |
Lebanon Valley College (1) |
44 |
3. |
Albright College |
41 |
4. |
Messiah College |
39 |
5. |
Elizabethtown College |
32 |
6. |
Susquehanna University |
31 |
7. |
Juniata College |
23 |
8. |
Moravian College |
22 |
|