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CoBL Division III Preseason Power Rankings: Part 1

11/02/2015, 9:00am EST
By Josh Verlin

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of CoBL's 2015-16 College Season Preview, which will run from October 2-November 13, the first day of games. For the complete rundown, click here)

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Heading into the season, we’ve ranked the top 10 Division III Programs in the area. Here are numbers 10 through six (and a bonus), as well as a preseason All-Area second team; the first team and the top five will come out tomorrow:

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All-Area Division III Second Team
Darnell Artis (12.1 ppg, 5.2 apg)--Sr./G, Gwynedd-Mercy
DeShawn Lowman (14.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg)--Jr./G, Neumann
Chris Moran (14.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg)--Sr./F Delaware Valley
Cedric Moune (12.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg)--Sr./F, F&M
Ike Robinson (15.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg)--Sr./F, Rowan

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Honorable Mention: Albright College (9-15, 5-11 MAC Commonwealth), Alvernia University (18-10, 10-6 MAC Commonwealth), Rosemont College (13-13 overall, 11-7 CSAC), Ursinus College (10-15 overall, 7-11 Centennial)

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11. Swarthmore Garnet
Coach: Landry Kosmalski, 4th season
Last season: 11-14 (7-11 Centennial)
Name(s) to know: Zack Yonda (Soph./G), Chris Bourne (Jr./F), Matt Brennan (Soph./G)

Outlook: Swarthmore has gradually increased its win total in each of Kosmalski’s three seasons, from seven wins in 2012-13 to 11 a year ago. Signs point to a fourth season of improvement, with Yonda, a Conestoga grad, returning after a freshman campaign in which he averaged 14.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg, while the 6-4 Bourne (13.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and 6-8 sophomore Robbie Walsh (5.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg) provide an interior presence. Though Karl Barkley (9.6 ppg) is gone, the Phoenix have the other eight of their top nine scorers back on the roster.

10. Delaware Valley Aggies
Coach: Casey Stitzel, 8th season
Last season: 16-11 (10-4 MAC Freedom)
Name(s) to know: Chris Moran (Sr., F/C), Barry Brockington (Sr./F), Zach Sly (Sr., G)

Outlook: Stitzel has certainly turned around Del-Val, taking a program that was long an afterthought in the MAC and winning two conference titles in the last five years; now, the Aggies are one of the top few teams in the division every season. It’s a testament to Stitzel that his program is still up there despite losing three starters from a year ago, though it helps having the 6-4 Moran (14.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Brockington (8.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) up front. They’re part of a class of five seniors, but with only two juniors and one sophomore on the roster at least part of a class of six freshmen will need to contribute for Del-Val to make its third NCAA appearance under Stitzel.

9. Eastern Eagles
Coach: Eric McNelley, 1st season
Last season: 12-13 (7-7 MAC Freedom)
Name(s) to know: Shaquan Turk (Jr., SF), Malcolm Garrison (Sr., SG), Tarek Hamzeh (Jr., SG)

Outlook: The biggest area of uncertain with the Eagles is at head coach, where Eric McNally is serving as interim head coach for the season after former head coach Nate Stewart moved up to become the school’s athletic director. McNelley, who was an assistant last year, has plenty of talent returning, including the Freedom’s leading scorer in Turk (17.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg), joined by Garrison (12.0 ppg) and 3-point specialistic Hamzeh (10.2 ppg, .437 3PT%) in the backcourt. They are extremely young up front, with five freshmen forwards and one junior, so the guards will have to carry the load.

8. Rowan Profs
Coach: Joe Cassidy, 20th season
Last season: 16-10 (10-8 NJAC)
Name(s) to know: Ike Robinson (Sr./F), Kris O’Connor (Sr./G), Chris Gross (Jr./F)

Outlook: The Profs are plenty experienced, with seven seniors on the roster led by Robinson, a 6-5 forward who averaged 15.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg a year ago to lead his team in both categories. Though second-leading scorer Mike Simpson (11.8 ppg) is gone, back are the next two, O’Connor (10.4 ppg) and Gross (7.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg), both of whom made double-digit starts a year ago. The Profs will play one of the bigger games in D-III hoops this fall when they welcome La Salle to campus on Nov. 28; Explorers head coach John Giannini led the Profs to a D-III national title in 1996.

7. Cabrini Cavaliers
Coach: Tim McDonald, 2nd season
Last season: 17-10 (13-5 CSAC)
Name(s) to know: Jair Green (Soph./F), Tyheim Monroe (Soph./F)

Outlook: The post-Aaron Walton-Moss era has begun. Graduated is the two-time D-III Player of the Year--much to the relief of the rest of the CSAC--after he averaged 20.6 ppg, 11.7 rpg and 8.8 apg during a senior year that ended suddenly in the CSAC finals with a loss to Neumann. So it’s now time for a group of promising young players to rise to the task, including the 6-4 Green (14.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and 6-6 Monroe (12.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg); in the backcourt, sophomores Daryl Bagwell, Ivan Robinson and Robbie Brosh are all back and healthy after playing a total of 12 games a year ago due to various injuries.

6. Gwynedd-Mercy Griffins
Coach: John Baron, 15th season
Last season: 17-10 (11-7 CSAC)
Name(s) to know: Arron Goodman (Jr./F), Cedric Elleby (Jr./F), Darnell Artis (Sr./G)

Outlook: The second of three Colonial States Athletic Conference teams in our initial power rankings are the Griffins, who return five of the six players who started at least 10 games for them a year ago. Goodman (16.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is a mobile and skilled 6-6 forward, complemented well by the 6-3 Elleby (12.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg) a “dirty work” type who’s relentless around the rim. And Baron has one of the best point guards around in Artis (12.1 ppg, 5.2 apg), who’s a near 40-percent shooter from 3-point range. Certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see the Griffins make their fifth NCAA Tournament or win 20 games for the sixth time under Baron.


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