Army West Point Athletics
Men's Hoops Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll
October 16, 2019 | Men's Basketball
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – For the second consecutive season, Lee Anderson Head Men's Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen and his Army West Point squad were chosen to finish sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Wednesday morning.
Colgate, the defending league regular season and tournament champions, was picked to repeat as the top team in the league after earning 162 points and 18 first-place votes. Bucknell (130), American (126), Loyola (98) and Boston U. (97) rounded out the top-five and finished just ahead of Army. American was the only other team to receive first-place votes.
The Black Knights added four to a roster that returns 16 Cadets for the 2019-20 campaign, including a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Tommy Funk and Matt Wilson.
Army's program's all-time leader in single-season and career assists, Funk, finished 20th in the league in scoring with 12.6 points per game. The 2018-19 Third Team All-Patriot League selection ranked second in helpers with 5.9 per contest and is just one of eight student-athletes in league history to accumulate more than 1,000 career points and 500 career assists.
Wilson capped his junior campaign as the league's leading rebounder after reeling in 8.6 per tilt to pair with 13.8 points per game, which ranked 13th. He additionally finished inside the top-five in field goal percentage. The Alexandria, Ky., native will look to build on his career resume as he sits inside the top-30 in program history in scoring and ninth in career rebounds.
Alex King, who was a staple in the starting lineup last year, returns after adding 7.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Lonnie Grayson, the team's leading scorer off the bench, is also back for the Black Knights after averaging 7.6 points per game last season.
The Black Knights will open the year against the defending Big East regular season and tournament champions, Villanova, on Nov. 5 in Villanova, Pa., at 8:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
2019-20 Patriot League Men's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year
Sa'eed Nelson, American, Sr., G Pleasantville, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep
2019-20 Men's Basketball Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Sa'eed Nelson, American, Sr., G, Pleasantville, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep
Max Mahoney, Boston University, Sr., F, Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge
Jordan Burns, Colgate, Jr., G, San Antonio, Texas/John Marshall
Rapolas Ivanauskas, Colgate, Sr., F, Barrington, Ill./Brewster Academy (Northwestern)
Andrew Kostecka, Loyola Maryland, Sr., G, Germantown, Md./Clarksburg
2019-20 Patriot League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Colgate, 162 points (18 first-place votes)
2. Bucknell, 130
3. American, 126 (2)
4. Loyola Maryland, 98
5. Boston University, 97
6. Army West Point, 86
7. Lehigh, 84
8. Lafayette, 55
9. Navy, 41
10. Holy Cross, 21
Colgate, the defending league regular season and tournament champions, was picked to repeat as the top team in the league after earning 162 points and 18 first-place votes. Bucknell (130), American (126), Loyola (98) and Boston U. (97) rounded out the top-five and finished just ahead of Army. American was the only other team to receive first-place votes.
The Black Knights added four to a roster that returns 16 Cadets for the 2019-20 campaign, including a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Tommy Funk and Matt Wilson.
Army's program's all-time leader in single-season and career assists, Funk, finished 20th in the league in scoring with 12.6 points per game. The 2018-19 Third Team All-Patriot League selection ranked second in helpers with 5.9 per contest and is just one of eight student-athletes in league history to accumulate more than 1,000 career points and 500 career assists.
Wilson capped his junior campaign as the league's leading rebounder after reeling in 8.6 per tilt to pair with 13.8 points per game, which ranked 13th. He additionally finished inside the top-five in field goal percentage. The Alexandria, Ky., native will look to build on his career resume as he sits inside the top-30 in program history in scoring and ninth in career rebounds.
Alex King, who was a staple in the starting lineup last year, returns after adding 7.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Lonnie Grayson, the team's leading scorer off the bench, is also back for the Black Knights after averaging 7.6 points per game last season.
The Black Knights will open the year against the defending Big East regular season and tournament champions, Villanova, on Nov. 5 in Villanova, Pa., at 8:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
2019-20 Patriot League Men's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year
Sa'eed Nelson, American, Sr., G Pleasantville, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep
2019-20 Men's Basketball Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Sa'eed Nelson, American, Sr., G, Pleasantville, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep
Max Mahoney, Boston University, Sr., F, Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge
Jordan Burns, Colgate, Jr., G, San Antonio, Texas/John Marshall
Rapolas Ivanauskas, Colgate, Sr., F, Barrington, Ill./Brewster Academy (Northwestern)
Andrew Kostecka, Loyola Maryland, Sr., G, Germantown, Md./Clarksburg
2019-20 Patriot League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Colgate, 162 points (18 first-place votes)
2. Bucknell, 130
3. American, 126 (2)
4. Loyola Maryland, 98
5. Boston University, 97
6. Army West Point, 86
7. Lehigh, 84
8. Lafayette, 55
9. Navy, 41
10. Holy Cross, 21
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward/Center
/ Men's Basketballvs. Air Force
Saturday, December 08
vs. UMass Lowell (Audio Only)
Saturday, November 17