Charlotte Picked 7th in A-10 Preseason Poll
Senior DiJuan Harris was named to the A-10's preseason all-conference second team. |
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Oct. 22, 2009
Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team has been picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and selected media members. In addition, senior catalyst DiJuan Harris (Charlotte, N.C.) was named to the preseason all-Atlantic 10 second team while freshman Shamarr Bowden (Greensboro, N.C.) was named to the preseason all-Rookie Team.
"We do have a lot of guys back but we're a little young," said 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz, who welcomes back three starters and welcomes in eight newcomers. "We're going to be a new team. We're much deeper, more athletic and can shoot the ball better. If our new guys mature well, we should be in the mix."
Dayton, which received 33 first-place votes, was picked as the league's preseason favorite. Xavier was picked to place second and garnered 18 first-place votes. Richmond, with four first-place votes, and La Salle, with two first place votes, rounded out the top four.
Charlotte went 11-20 last season and finished 12th in A-10 play. The 49ers lost their top scorer, Lamont Mack and top rebounder, Charlie Coley, but have a crop of newcomers that have brought high hopes for a turnaround.
Harris who ranked in the nation's top 10 in both assists (4th -- 7.19/game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (6th -- 2.93), was named to the league's preseason second team. Last year, Harris averaged 9.0 points and passed out 223 assists, second most in 49ers history. He set a school record for minutes played and posted six points-assists double-doubles and a school-record 11 games with double-digit dishes. He shot 44% from the field and 36% from three-point range while hitting 66% of his free throws.
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"He had a phenomenal year," Lutz said of Harris. "He wasn't able to defend like he did two years ago. We will be able to let him go defensively. He can create havoc."
Bowden, who missed last season as a red-shirt after injuring his knee in preseason practice, was the 49ers leading scorer during a Tour of Canada, in the fall of 2008. He averaged 14.0 points during that three-game tour, including a high of 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting against York University. The 6-3 shooting guard averaged 20.7 points and 17.0 points in his final two high school seasons at the Miller School.
2009-10 ATLANTIC 10 MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First-Team Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown PPG RPG Assts
Lavoy Allen, Temple Jr. F 6-9 225 Morrisville, Pa. 10.9 9.0 68 Kevin Anderson, Richmond Jr. G 6-0 175 Duluth, Ga. 16.6 2.9 101 Rodney Green, La Salle Sr. G 6-5 205 Philadelphia, Pa. 17.8 5.0 105 Ricky Harris, Massachusetts Sr. G 6-2 175 Baltimore, Md. 18.2 2.9 45 Chris Wright, Dayton Jr. F 6-8 226 Trotwood, Ohio 13.3 6.6 33Second-Team David Gonzalvez, Richmond Sr. G 6-4 200 Marietta, Ga. 16.0 4.8 72 DiJuan Harris, Charlotte Sr. G 5-9 170 Charlotte, N.C 9.0 3.3 223 Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure So. F 6-9 225 Mississauga, Ont. 12.5 6.0 7 Marcus Johnson, Dayton Sr. G 6-3 200 Cleveland, Ohio 11.8 3.1 54 Damian Saunders, Duquesne Jr. F 6-7 210 Waterbury, Conn. 13.1 7.6 77
Third-Team Bill Clark, Duquesne Jr. G/F 6-5 205 Redondo Beach, Ca.12.9 5.0 91 Keith Cothran, Rhode Island Sr. G 6-4 195 New Haven, Conn. 13.2 2.4 58 Jordan Crawford, Xavier So. G 6-4 195 Detroit, Mich. 9.7 3.4 69 Dan Geriot, Richmond Jr. C 6-9 260 Springfield, Pa. 14.3 5.5 56% Kwamain Mitchell, Saint Louis So. G 5-10 165 Milwaukee, Wis. 11.0 3.2 113
Defensive Team Dante' Jackson, Xavier Jr. G 6-5 205 Greenfield, Ohio 6.6 3.5 94 Jason Love, Xavier Sr. F/C 6-9 255 Philadelphia, Pa. 6.7 5.9 18 Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure So. F 6-9 225 Mississauga, Ont. 12.5 6.0 7 London Warren, Dayton Sr. G 6-0 187 Jacksonville, Fla. 4.1 2.8 154 Garrett Williamson, Saint Joseph's Sr. G 6-5 195 Lower Merion, Pa. 6.1 3.7 145
Rookie Team Shamarr Bowden, Charlotte Fr. G 6-3 185 Greensboro, N.C. 17.0 Chris Gaston, Fordham Fr. F 6-7 210 Newark, N.J. 19.7 10.3 Aaric Murray, La Salle Fr. C 6-10 247 Philadelphia, Pa. 18.0 12.4 Freddie Riley, Massachusetts Fr. G 6-5 175 Ocala, Fla. 22.8 6.5 Terrell Vinson, Massachusetts Fr. G/F 6-7 205 Baltimore, Md. 23.0 8.0
% denotes 2007-08 statistics
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH 1. Dayton (33) 8. Rhode Island 2. Xavier (18) 9. Massachusetts 3. Richmond (4) 10. Saint Joseph's 4. La Salle (2) 11. St. Bonaventure 5. Duquesne 12. Saint Louis (tie) Temple 13. George Washington 7. Charlotte 14. Fordham First-place votes in parentheses
