October 20, 2009

RAMS PICKED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL; SANDERS NAMED TO FIRST TEAM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Three seems to be a big number around Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball these days.

It was the number of the all-time leading scorer and assist man, Eric Maynor, who has taken his game to the NBA. It is the number of consecutive regular-season championships the Black & Gold have captured.

On Tuesday afternoon, that number came up again as the Rams were picked third in the Colonial Athletic Association Men’s Basketball preseason poll, released at the conference’s annual Media Day in Washington, D.C.

“This league is a tremendous challenge because we’ll be facing a quality opponent, night-in and night-out,” Head Coach Shaka Smart said. “We don’t need to focus on the polls, that’s for the prognosticators. We need to focus on taking one step at a time so that we can be the best team that we can be, night-in and night-out.”

Old Dominion was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league followed by Northeastern, who finished second in the poll for the second consecutive season. George Mason was selected fourth followed by James Madison and Hofstra to round out the top six spots.

Star-studded junior Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla.) earned preseason accolades by being selected as a member of the Preseason All-CAA First Team. The reigning 2009 Defensive Player of the Year will look to add more offensive to his game and become the focal point of the Rams after averaging 11.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest last year. His 92 blocks ranked in the top-10 in the nation last year.

“Larry had a great summer, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Smart added. “He has the most potential of any player I’ve ever coached. If he continues to work hard, there’s no telling how far he could go.”

The Rams will open up the 2009-10 campaign on November 13, when they host the Cougars of Bethune-Cookman University. Game time at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center is set for 7:30 p.m.

2009-10 CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

2009-10 CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

CAA Preseason Co-Players of the Year: Charles Jenkins, Hofstra and Gerald Lee, Old Dominion
Honorable Mention: Ben Finney, Jr., G/F, Old Dominion; Jawan Carter, Jr., G, Delaware; Chaisson Allen, Jr., G, Northeastern