St. John
Fisher College, which won five consecutive conference titles from 2003-2007, was selected to finish first in the Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Cardinals, who received seven first-place votes in the poll, advanced to the conference title game for the sixth consecutive time in 2008 before missing the tournament in 2009.
Senior guard Matt Newman of the Cardinals earned second-team all-conference honors last season and junior guard Ozell Franklin received honorable mention recognition. Newman averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last year, while leading St. John Fisher in assists and steals. Franklin, who shared the 2007 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honor, led the Cardinals in scoring (12.7 points per game) and three-pointers a year ago.
Defending conference champion Rochester Institute of Technology received the other two first-place votes and is the coaches’ choice to finish second this season. Senior forward Scott Young, an honorable mention all-conference choice last year, is the leading returning scorer for the Tigers. Sophomore Brendan Harder totaled 14 points, six rebounds, and five blocks as RIT edged Western Ontario in an exhibition game.
Ithaca College and Nazareth College tied for third place in the coaches’ preseason rankings. The Bombers, who finished 15-1 in conference regular season play last year and finished a program-best 24-3 overall, graduated two-time Player of the Year Sean Burton. Ithaca and St. John Fisher each received votes in the D3hoops.com preseason poll.
Fisher will begin the quest for its sixth Empire 8 title in eight years when the season begins on November 15th at Carnegie Mellon.