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2016-17 Preview: D-III Preseason All-Area Teams

10/28/2016, 3:00pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2016-17 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 11. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season, click here.)

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As vibrant as Philadelphia’s high school scene and the City 6, the Division III competition in southeastern Pennsylvania is just as intense.

More than 30 small-college programs inhibit the area from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, up to State College and over to Allentown, and it’s quite a diverse bunch. There’s the high-academic schools of the Centennial, like Franklin & Marshall, Swarthmore and Muhlenberg; the physical and athletic schools of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (Cabrini, Neumann, Gwynedd-Mercy), the varied and talented programs in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC)’s Commonwealth and Freedom divisions (Arcadia, Lebanon Valley, DeSales), plus programs in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC), Capital Athletic Conference, Landmark Conference and more.

We’ve already taken a look at the top 10 programs heading into the season; now we’ll look at some of its best players, with our Preseason All-CoBL Area squads.

Without further ado:


Cedric Elleby (above) averaged 16.8 ppg and 8.2 rpg as a junior at Gwynedd-Mercy. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

First Team
Cedric Elleby (Sr./Gwynedd-Mercy)
-- Somewhat undersized for a post at 6-foot-3, Elleby makes up for it with an unending motor and high-end athleticism. Averaged 16.8 ppg and 8.2 rpg as a junior with 48 blocks, shooting 57.2 percent from the floor.

DeShawn Lowman (Sr./Neumann)
-- A strong, physical guard, Lowman is Neumann’s go-to guy when they need a bucket, as well as an active rebounder and high-level defender. Averaged 17.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg as a junior, shooting 51.9 percent overall and 37 percent from deep.

Marquis Marshall (Sr./Alvernia)
-- The son of former NBA forward and current CCSU head coach Donyell Marshall, Marquis Marshall is a 6-6 forward with a terrific inside-out game. Averaged 18.8 ppg and 8.2 rpg as a junior, shooting 49.6 percent overall and 37 percent on 3-pointers.

Tyheim Monroe (Jr./Cabrini)
-- Helped along by Cabrini’s uptempo pace and high shot volume, Monroe put up monster numbers as a sophomore: 18.4 ppg, 15.3 rpg. A 6-6 forward from Olney Charter, Monroe enters his junior year with 817 points and 627 rebounds.

Andy Orr (Jr./Lebanon Valley)
-- The headline member of a terrific junior class for the Dutchmen is this 6-7 forward from Conrad Weiser, who followed up on a MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year award in 2014-15 by averaging 21.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg as a sophomore, making 44.2 percent of his 3s.

Shaquan Turk (Sr./Eastern)
-- A hyper-athletic 6-4 wing from Philadelphia, Turk was Eastern’s leading scorer (19.0 ppg), rebounder (6.8 rpg) and defender (34 steals, 28 blocks) as a junior, doing it all on a nifty 51.5 percent overall and 36.8 percent from 3-point range.

Second Team
James Butler (Sr./Neumann)
-- A 6-3 forward out of now-closed Roberts Vaux HS in Philly, Butler has been a high-impact player since he arrived at Neumann for the 2014-15 season, earning CSAC Championship Game MVP honors that year. Averaged 16.2 ppg and 8.3 rpg as a junior, making 56.8 percento f his shot attempts.

Brandon Federici (Jr./Franklin & Marshall)
-- Federici, a 6-4 guard, is only six points away from 1,000 after averaging 17.6 ppg as a sophomore, shooting 42.9 percent on his 3-point attempts. That actually was a slight drop-off from his freshman year (19.3 ppg) though on a better 3-point percentage (up from 39.3).

Tyliek Kimbrough (Sr./Del-Val)
-- New Aggies head coach Mark Seidenberg will have to rely heavily on this Brooklyn native in his first season. A 6-0 guard, Kimbrough averaged 13.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 4.0 apg, the only one of three double-digit scorers to return from a 20-win season last year.

Sam Light (Jr./Lebanon Valley)
-- The Robin to Orr’s Batman, Light -- a 6-foot-tall guard from Northern Lebanon who spent his freshman year at D-II Millersville -- averaged  19.1 ppg on 42.6 percent 3-point shooting as a sophomore, chipping in four rebounds per game as well.

Dalton Myers (Sr./York)
-- The go-to man for the Spartans for the third year in a row, who built on a very good sophomore campaign (13.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) by upping that to 16.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg as a junior. A 6-7 forward from Finksburg (Md.), Myers knocked down a cool 41.4 percent of his triples to boot.

Kuity Slanger (Sr./DeSales)
-- Second on the Bulldogs in scoring last year (12.4 ppg) but led DeSales in both rebounds (6.2/game) and assists (4.9/game). A 6-2 Upper Darby grad, Slanger is likely to lead them in all three this year now that that leading scorer Cody Deal has graduated.


Matt Knowles (above) is back and healthy for Ursinus after averaging 16.2 ppg as a junior. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Third Team
Matt Knowles (Sr./Ursinus)
-- Limited to only a dozen games last year due to injury, Knowles is expected to be fully recovered by opening tip for his senior year. A 6-2 guard, the Scranton Prep product averaged 16.2 ppg, hitting 50.4 percent overall and 36.4 percent from 3-point range.

Omari Ringgold (Sr./Albright)
-- After spending his freshman year at Howard CC (Md.), Ringgold has been an impact player for two straight years for Rick Ferry’s Lions. A 6-3 wing, he averaged 15.0 ppg and hit 42.1 percent of his triples a year ago, and has 716 points in two years at Albright.

Ivan Robinson (R-Soph./Cabrini)
-- Another key member of the young Cavaliers core, Robinson established himself as one of the top all-around players in the CSAC last year, finishing fourth in the league in assists (4.0/game) and seventh in steals (45) while averaging 12.8 ppg and 3.0 rpg as well.

Sardayah Sambo (Jr./Widener)
-- Sambo put up 15.2 ppg and 8.0 rpg as a sophomore, but that wasn't his most impressive stat. The 6-3 guard led the MAC Commonwealth and was eighth in the country at 3.2 blocks per game, swatting 79 shots to give him 108 for his career. Had seven double-doubles and shot 54.1 percent from the floor to boot.

Josh Scott (Soph., Arcadia)
-- Scott had a terrific freshman season, earning CoBL Rookie of the Year and D3Hoops.com Mid-Atlantic Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 12.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.7 apg. If he can improve on his 22.4 percent shooting from deep, the sky’s the limit for the 6-3 Penn Wood grad.

Matt Sherman (Sr./Haverford College)
-- Injuries hampered Sherman as a junior, so his numbers (11.3 ppg, .262 3PT%) suffered as a result; his 15.5 ppg and 38.6 percent shooting from deep as a sophomore are what we expect out of the 5-10 Harriton grad in his final year as a Ford.

Steve Weidlich (Sr./Susquehanna)
-- Weidlich has been consistently strong his whole Susquehanna career, scoring 1,186 points already (16.1/game as a junior), while making 36.5 percent of his career triples. More than just a shooter, averaged 5.0 rpg and 3.2 apg for the NCAA Tournament squad.


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