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D-III Power Rankings: Nov. 23, 2015

11/23/2015, 10:30am EST
By Josh Verlin

Phil Pierfy (above) and Arcadia make a big appearance in this week's Power Rankings. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The CoBL Small-College Power Rankings have returned! Every other week, we'll be looking at the Division II and Division III programs in the area and updating who's playing well and who's struggling.

Keep in mind with these rankings, we try to ignore preseason expectations as much as possible and rely primarily on performance; there are are some very good programs who didn’t have great starts to the season, so they’ve dropped out of the rankings, and these will be rather fluid over the first month or two of the season.

Here’s how the area D-III scene looks after the first 10 days of play:

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Also under consideration: Alvernia (3-2), Cairn University (3-0), Gettysburg College (2-1), Lebanon Valley (3-1), Marywood University (3-0), Delaware Valley (2-1)
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10. Rosemont Ravens (NR)
Record: 2-1
Last Week: @ Eastern (W, 78-68), vs. DeSales (L, 79-69), @ Rutgers-Camden (W, 63-60)
Star Watch: Marcus Thomas (Sr./SF): 26.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Update: Thomas has been a terror through the Ravens' first three games, shooting 50 percent (20-of-40) overall and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from 3-point range. The 6-5 wing, who's in his second year at Rosemont, will have to continue to carry a big load all season long, though head coach Barney Hughes needs more from Kyle Lafferty (9.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Charles Presley (5.0 ppg, 2.0 apg) for Rosemont to take another step forward in the CSAC. Big game in their league opener on Tuesday with Neumann coming to Alumnae Hall.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Neumann (Nov. 24, 7 PM), vs. William Paterson (@ Cabrini; Nov. 28, 2 PM), vs. Cairn (Dec. 2, 7 PM), @ Keystone (Dec. 5, 1 PM)

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9. Swarthmore Garnet (11)
Record: 2-0
Last Week: @ Widener (@, 76-68), vs. Centenary (W, 80-66)
Star Watch: Zack Yonda (Soph./G): 23.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg

Update: Speaking of talented bucket-getters, how about the start that Yonda has had for Swat? The former Conestoga star busted out for 34 points in the win over Centenary, shooting 11-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range after an efficient 13 points (on seven shots) in the opener. The Garnet avoid playing Franklin & Marshall, Johns Hopkins and Dickinson until January, and have plenty of time to build up some momentum between now and then.

Next Two Weeks: @ Ursinus (Nov. 24, 8 PM), vs. Cairn (Nov. 28, 3 PM), vs. Washington College (Dec. 1, 8 PM), @ McDaniel (Dec. 5, 3 PM)

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8. Neumann Knights (4)
Record: 2-2
Last Week: @ Catholic (L, 75-64), @ Rowan (W, 77-72), @ Stockton (L, 86-71), vs. Wesley (@ Stockton; 73-71)
Star Watch: DeShawn Lowman (Jr./G): 17.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg

Update: There's no shame in the loss to Catholic, who's ranked in the top 10 by d3hoops.com (No. 6, to be exact), and the road win at Rowan was nice. The Knights dropped a few spots because a few teams above them had a few more wins, but don't expect to see them struggle to pick up victories all year long. Lowman’s been on fire from the field lately, hitting 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from 3-point range over the last three games, and junior James Butler (14.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) is off to a strong start as well.

Next Two Weeks: @ Rosemont (Nov. 24, 8 PM), vs. Valley Forge (@ Cabrini, Nov. 28, 12 PM), vs. Gwynedd Mercy (Dec. 2, 7 PM0, vs. Cairn (Dec. 5, 2 PM)

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7. DeSales Bulldogs (3)
Record: 2-2
Last Week: vs. PSU-Berks (W, 85-70), @ Rosemont (W, 79-69), vs. St. John Fisher (@ Stevenson; L, 74-64), vs. Salisbury (@ Stevenson; L, 89-79)
Star Watch: Kuity Slanger (Jr./G): 14.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.8 apg

Update: Scott Coval picked up his 400th career win in the Rosemont victory, but then it was a rough weekend for the Bulldogs at Stevenson; Salisbury hit a school-record 19 3-pointers in the second of back-to-back losses. Slanger has certainly taken a nice step forward from his sophomore season (8.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.4 apg), becoming the team’s second-leading scorer after senior forward Cody Deal (18.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who’s shooting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) on his 3-point attempts.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Moravian (Nov. 24, 8 PM), vs. Manhattanville (Dec. 2, 8 PM), @ Misericordia (Dec. 5, 3 PM)

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6. Dickinson Red Devils (2)
Record: 1-2
Last Week: vs. Cabrini (L, 87-82), @ Stevenson (W, 77-67), vs. St. John Fisher (@ Stevenson; L, 82-68)
Star Watch: Ted Hinnekamp (Sr./G): 20.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 60.0 FG%

Update: There’s no shame in a 1-2 record considering the opening trio of games Dickinson had, against Cabrini, the MAC Commonwealth preseason favorites Stevenson and a St. John Fisher squad that was ranked No. 22 in the country by d3hoops.com, but you can bet Dickinson doesn’t feel that way. As expected, the Red Devils are being led by 6-7 wing Hinnekamp, while 6-6 freshman wing Jule Brown (Lower Merion, Pa.) is second on the team with 12.0 ppg while adding 5.7 rpg as well.

Next Two Weeks: @ McDaniel (Nov. 24, 8 PM), vs. Gettysburg (Dec. 1, 8 PM), vs. Haverford (Dec. 5, 4 PM)

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5. Cabrini Cavaliers (7)
Record: 2-2
Last Week: @ Dickinson (W, 87-82), @ Eastern (L, 86-85), @ Greensboro College (W, 79-74), vs. Guilford (@ Greensboro; L, 85-82)
Star Watch: Tyheim Monroe (Soph./F): 17.3 ppg, 13.5 rpg

Update: Tough to figure out Cabrini, who pulled out a very impressive road win at Dickinson to start the year before losing to Eastern on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in a game they’d led by five with 46 seconds to play. And the Guilford loss featured Cabrini giving up a 12-point lead in the second half. This is a top-heavy squad: Monroe is one of four Cavaliers averaging more than 16.0 ppg, but nobody else averages more than 6.0 ppg.

Next Two Weeks: vs. College of Wooster (Nov. 24, 8 PM), vs. Stevenson (Nov. 28, 6 PM), @ Immaculata (Dec. 2, 6:30 PM), vs. Marywood (Dec. 5, 1 PM)

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4. Eastern Eagles (9)
Record: 3-1
Last Week: vs. Rosemont (L, 78-68), vs. Cabrini (86-85), @ Geneva (W, 96-73), @ Grove City (W, 74-57)
Star Watch: Shaquan Turk (Jr./SF): 18.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg

Update: New head coach Eric McNelley lost his debut at home to Rosemont but certainly rebounded nicely. The win over Cabrini--delivered on a 3-pointer by the team’s lone senior, Malcolm Garrison--was the program’s first over its Eagle Road rival in seven years, and the Eagles followed that up with a championship at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic this weekend. Turk, a 6-4 junior, is adjusting well to his new role on the perimeter, but it doesn’t hurt that Garrison is shooting 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from 3-point range.

Next Two Weeks: @ Lancaster Bible (Nov. 24, 8 PM), @ Wilkes (Dec. 2, 8 PM), vs. Delaware Valley (Dec. 5, 3 PM)

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3. Franklin & Marshall (5)
Record: 3-1
Last Week: vs. Elizabethtown (W, 80-49), vs. Oneonta St. (W, 79-71, OT), vs. New Jersey City (@ Messiah; W, 79-67), vs. Lancaster Bible (@ Messiah; L, 94-66)
Star Watch: Cedric Moune (Sr./F): 17.0 ppg, 12.3 ppg

Update: The Diplomats looked very strong through their first three games, but the fourth was a head-scratcher, as they were thoroughly dominated by Lancaster Bible, who beat a ranked team for the first time in school history; F&M was No. 19 in the preseason d3hoops poll. The Chargers won 28 games a year ago, so this is by no means a bad program, but F&M isn’t usually a team that turns it over 27 times in a game and loses by even more than that. They’ll have to shake it off quickly with league play beginning this week with a trip up to Muhlenberg.

Next Two Weeks: @ Muhlenberg (Nov. 24, 8 PM), vs. Ursinus (Dec. 1, 8 PM), vs. Washington College (Dec. 5, 3 PM)

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2. Arcadia Knights (NR)
Record: 4-1
Last Week: vs. Haverford (@ Albright; W, 79-61), @ Muhlenberg (W, 86-58), @ Gwynedd Mercy (W, 90-77), vs. College at Old Westbury (@ NYU; W, 90-87 2OT), @ NYU (L, 90-87)
Star Watch: Phil Pierfy (Fr./F): 17.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Update: Despite starting three freshmen and returning only a few players from a year ago, Justin Scott’s Knights have had one of the more impressive starts to the season, picking up tough road wins at Muhlenberg and Gwynedd Mercy before taking NYU to the line in its own early-season tournament. The freshmen, led by Pierfy and Josh Scott (10.8 ppg, 3.5 apg) have been performing at a high level, while senior John Landro (17.4 ppg, 3.2 apg) provides the requisite leadership.

Next Two Weeks: vs. Misericordia (Nov. 29, 4 PM), vs. Lebanon Valley (Dec. 2, 8 PM), vs. Messiah (Dec. 5, 3 PM)

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1. Stockton Ospreys (Preseason rank: 1)
Record: 2-1
Last Week: vs. Staten Island (L, 72-68), vs. Neumann University (W, 86-71), vs. Gwynedd Mercy University (W, 81-64)
Star Watch: Jaymere Hadden (Jr./F): 16.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg

Update: The preseason pick to win the NJAC, Stockton lost a tough one in its opener to the CUNYAC favorite Staten Island but bounced back nicely with wins over two of the top teams in the CSAC, Neumann and Gwynedd, by considerable margins. Hadden, a 6-4 forward, is one of four Ospreys averaging more than 12 ppg, along with senior Armin Cane (15.3 ppg), junior forward Maurice Hart (13.3 ppg) and sophomore forward Marcus Harmon (12.0 ppg), who also leads the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg).

Next Two Weeks: @ Rowan (Nov. 24, 8 PM), vs. TCNJ (Dec. 2, 8 PM), @ William Paterson (Dec. 5, 2015)

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Dropped out: Gwynedd Mercy (6), Rowan (7), Delaware Valley (10)


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