Northeast Conference Preview

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Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson were fighting for the regular season title to the very end, and Monmouth won it outright on the last day. There were four other teams with double figure wins in conference play. In the conference tournament, FDU defeated surprise finalist Wagner to win the automatic bid. They then gave Illinois a tough game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and were only trailing by one at halftime. However, as expected, they lost. Look for FDU to lead a pack of clear-cut contenders.

Favorite: Fairleigh Dickinson is the returning conference champion, and should be able to repeat this season, even without Tamien Trent. The NEC Preseason Player of the Year, Gordon Klaiber, is going to have a huge season for the Knights. Andrea Crosariol joins him in the frontcourt. He could be poised for a breakout season given his talent. On the perimeter, Chad Timberlake returns. The All-NEC guard is a good scorer and makes for a great inside-outside combo with Klaiber. Swingman Andre Harris should improve his numbers with more playing time. Bernell Murray needs to step in at the point.

Contenders: Wagner leads a pack of certified contenders chasing FDU. The superb backcourt of All-conference candidate Mark Porter and Defensive Player of the Year DeEarnest McLemore will be tough for most teams to stop. Jamal Smith and and Joe Mundweiler provide excellent depth on the perimeter. In the frontcourt, forwards Durell Vinson, Matt Vitale, and James Ulrich return. They are all solid players, and Vitale and Vinson are good scorers. Jamal Webb is another decent swingman. If they find some post depth, the Seahawks are going to be very difficult to compete with. Monmouth doesn't have any true standouts, but they have several consistent contributors. Tyle Azzarelli and Chris Kenny comprise an above average backcourt for the conference. Forwards Marques Alston and Dejan Delic will provide good all-around play up front. Two newcomers are expected to have immediate impacts. Freshman Tyson Johnson and Division III transfer John Bunch will be added to the frontcourt mix, and should see playing time right away. Long Island University returns all five starters and solid depth. All-Conference guard James Williams is the star of the group. He is an excellent scorer, and when combined with Randy Jones, is part of the best backcourt tandem in the league. Evan Meekins is a very good guard off the bench. Five forwards return that all averaged between 4.6 points and 7.9 points per game. Esa Maki-Tulokas and Aubin Scott are the best of the bunch, and are the three starters, along with Kellen Allen. Paulius Morkeliunas and Eugene Kotorabi are solid frontcourt players off the pine.

Sleepers: Central Connecticut State returns a very good offensive trio, consisting of potential All-Conference guard DeMario Anderson and forward Obie Nwadike, as well as guard Lenny Jefferson. Tristan Blackwood, Javier Mokica, and Justin Chiera are three other decent perimeter players for the Blue Devils. Jason Hickenbottom will step into the vacant forward slot in the starting lineup. Size could be a problem, however. St. Francis (NY) has a trio of guards that all averaged 11.4 points per game, but only one was a starter. Allan Sheppard may be an all-conference candidate this season, while Tristan Smith is going to be one of the best point guards in the league. Christian Brown is another very good scorer on the wing. Ruandy Melo could start at the point as well, while Nick Jones and Sean Dantzler are solid role players on the perimeter. Up front, the Terriers could be lacking. Devon Neckles and James St. Robert are the returning starters, but neither is extremely productive. Lex James should provide some sort of big body down low. Mount St. Mary's has one of the better guards in the conference in Landy Thompson, as well as another above-average guard in Mychal Kearse. Charles Cook and Kiel Butler form a solid forward tandem. Another option in the frontcourt would be ideal to add to that very good quartet.

Rounding Out the Pack: Robert Morris lost their top two scorers, but return a decent amount of talent to make some noise within the conference. The backcourt of Derek Coleman and Tony Lee are coming back to lead the way. JC transfer Steve Lancaster is an excellent shooter. East Tennessee State transfer A.J. Jackson should hold down the fort inside. Quinnipiac returns three starters who form an excellent trio, as well as a transfer that should be one of the best scorers in the league. Guard Craig Benson, forward Kevin Jolley, and center Karl Anderson form one of the best troikas in the NEC. John Winchester, a transfer from Tennessee, should add scoring from the perimeter. St. Francis (PA) is home to a very good pair of 5-10 guards. Rahsaan Benton is an excellent scorer, while Garrett Farha led the conference in assists and three-point field goal percentage. They have no proven players in the frontcourt, however. Sacred Heart has one of the best players in the conference in forward Joey Henley, in addition to four other starters and two reserves that averaged over seven points per game. Jarrid Frye, Drew Shubik, and Mike Parker round out the starting perimeter, while Luke Granato provides depth. Center Kibwe Trim joins Henley in the frontcourt, and Ryon Howard comes off the bench. Boston College Tavio Hobson should find a role to play.

Prediction: Fairleigh Dickinson should repeat as the conference champions, but it won't be easy. Wagner and LIU are stacked, while Monmouth is also very talented. However, neither of them have Gordon Klaiber. He is such a mismatch for any team to defend, given his size, athleticism, and shooting ability. Add Chad Timberlake and Andrea Crosariol, and you have a team ready to defend its crown. Expect a close race between the top three or four teams, though.

Player of the Year: Gordon Klaiber, PF, Fairleigh Dickinson

All-Conference Team:
G- Landy Thompson, Mount St. Mary's
G- James Williams, Long Island University
G- Chad Timberlake, Fairleigh Dickinson
F- Joe Henley, Sacred Heart
F- Gordon Klaiber, Fairleigh Dickinson

Second Team:
G- DeMario Anderson, Central Connecticut State
G- Allan Sheppard, St. Francis (NY)
G- Mark Porter, Wagner
G- DeEarnest McLemore, Wagner
F- Obie Nwadike, Central Connecticut State

Ohio Valley Conference Preview

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Last season in the wide-open Ohio Valley Conference, seven teams finished within three games of each other at the top of the standings. Tennessee Tech won it by one game over Eastern Kentucky and Murray State. In the conference tournament, Eastern Kentucky beat #5 seed Austin Peay to gain the automatic bid. They then gave Kentucky much more than the Wildcats anticipated from the OVC champs before bowing out. This season should be similar to last year's, with several teams expected to be in the running for the crown.

Favorites: Eastern Kentucky returns four starters from that NCAA Tournament team, including one of the best mid-major point guards in Matt Witt. He went for over 14 points and 6 assists every night. Joining him in the backcourt is defensive specialist Jason McLeish, who is also a decent scorer. Double-figure scorer Zach Ingles is on the other wing, giving the Colonels possibly the best perimeter in the league. One of the best post players in the OVC is also back. Alonzo Hird is a load to stop down low and is poised for a huge season. Darnell Dials should step in at the vacated power forward spot. Murray State has arguably the best player in the league in guard Trey Pearson. He is an excellent shooter that can do pretty much everything on the court. Four other starters also return. Point guard Keith Jenifer and part-time starter Darnell Hopkins are two very solid players in the backcourt. Up front, an abundance of players are back that made major contributions a year ago. Shawn Witherspoon and Justin Orr both started and produced well last season, but Issian Redding and Charles Johnson also played extremely well off the bench at the forward positions and will push for starting jobs. 6-10 Pearson Griffith will start at center.

Contenders: Tennessee Tech returns four starters, but loses the OVC Player of the Year in Willie Jenkins. They must find someone to replace him. However, they do return some quality players, starting with All-Conference candidate Derek Stribling. He can play a multitude of positions, ranging from the two to the power forward spot. The backcourt combination of Keyon Boyd and Milone Clark is excellent as it is, but the addition of East Carolina transfer Belton Rivers should bolster is even further. 6-2 Anthony Fisher is one of the league's top sixth men. Possible starters Isaiah Mills and Jonathan Jones as well as solid forward Amadi McKenzie join Stribling in the frontcourt. Tennessee State, like seemingly every other team in this league, returns a stud backcourt. All-Conference guard Bruce Price is the main performer from the perimeter, but Wayne Arnold is also a solid player. Reserve Reiley Ervin is a decent role player off the bench. Forwards Eric King and Kareem Grant return up front. Both averaged about 10 points per game. Oklahoma transfer Larry Turner is eligible after the fall semester, and should have a huge impact inside for the Tigers. Samford has one of the best forwards in the league back in J. Robert Merritt, a first-team All-OVC pick a year ago. Jerry Smith, Randall Gulina, and Joe Ross Merritt provide inside-outside balance for the Bulldogs. Ryan Woolsey is expected to start, while 6-4 freshman Jason Black is poised to make an immediate impact.

Sleepers: Austin Peay may have the best inside-outside combination in the league in guard Maurice Hampton and center Zac Schlader. Hampton has the potential to have a huge, Player of the Year-like campaign, while Schlader is one of the better post players in the conference. Todd Babington, Derek Wright, and Fernandez Lockett all will see extensive playing time, with Babington and Lockett starting on the perimeter. Tomas Janusauskas should start next to Schlader. Southeast Missouri State lost nearly all of their key players, but reinforced the squad with several transfers, both D-I and JC. However, they also return the starting backcourt of Paul Paradoski and Terrick Willoughby. As far as the transfers that are going to produce immediately, Roy Booker looks like the best bet. He should be a go-to-guy on the perimeter. Inside, returnees Ketshner Guerrier and Waylon Francis will be molded with newcomers Andrais Thornton, Tyrell White, and John Chappell.

Rounding Out the Pack: Eastern Illinois returns an all-league lock in guard Josh Gomes, who is one of the best scorers in the conference. George Tandy and Bobby Catchings form a solid frontcourt duo, as Tandy was last season's Freshman of the Year, and Catchings is a versatile inside-outside scorer. Bill Duany and Jake Sinclair are decent perimeter options and could start. Morehead State has a potentially dynamite backcourt in senior Quinton Smith and redshirt junior Quenton Pryor. Smith is an all-around solid producer, while Pryor was injured all of last season. Cory Burns and JC transfer Shaun Williams should form an acceptable forward tandem, while a slew of other newcomers are expected to vie for time. Tennessee-Martin has an excellent swingman returning in Jared Newson, who will contend for league honors. Will Lewis and center Cleve Woodfork join him in a very good frontcourt. Woodfork is very underrated within the league. Jason Thompson is a good bench player down low. In the backcourt, Jeremy Kelly and Tolliver McLennon, neither of whom were on the team last season, will start. Aaron Ferrell and Justin Flatt will see lots of time on the perimeter, as well. Jacksonville State returns all five starters, including three double-figure scorers. Walker D. Russell is one of the best mid-major point guards that no one has heard of; he averaged over 14 points and 7 assists a year ago. B.J. Spencer and Anthony Wilson are both solid scoring wings. Dorien Brown should have a bigger year in the frontcourt, next to Carlos Lumpkin, who needs to improve his production.

Prediction: Eastern Kentucky and Murray State will be in a dogfight throughout the season, with up to four other teams having a legitimate shot at the title. However, in the end, the Colonels experience, point guard Matt Witt, and their offensive balance will prevail and they will win the league's automatic bid. Trey Pearson can carry Murray State to the NCAA Tournament, but he will have to settle for the NIT this season. This is going to be an exciting season in the Ohio Valley, though.

Player of the Year: Trey Pearson, SG, Murray State

All-Conference Team:
G- Matt Witt, Eastern Kentucky
G- Trey Pearson, Murray State
G- Josh Gomes, Eastern Illinois
F- Jared Newson, Tennessee- Martin
F- J. Robert Merritt, Samford

Second Team:
G- Walker Russell, Jacksonville State
G- Maurice Hampton, Austin Peay
G- Bruce Price, Tennessee State
F- Derek Stribling, Tennessee Tech
C- Alonzo Hird, Eastern Kentucky