ATLANTA – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) announced its 2015-16 Men’s Basketball Preseason Players of the Year, preseason teams, and predicted order of finish, Tuesday morning during Media Day at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Tucker, Ga.
Denzel Dillingham (Sr., Guard, 6’4, Hickory, N.C.) of Paine was named the Preseason Player of the Year and Jerry Hampton (Sr., Center, 6’8, Memphis, Tenn.) of LeMoyne-Owen was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Dillingham, the league’s Player and Newcomer of the Year last season, led the SIAC in scoring last season and averaged 21.0 points a game. He shot 48.5 percent from the field and 45.2 percent (80-for-177) from the 3-point range, which also led the conference. Dillingham averaged 5.0 rebounds per game and 2.2 assists last year where he helped the Lions to a 23-6 record. Paine won the SIAC regular season east division title with a 17-2 mark in conference play.
Hampton, who was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, finished the 2014-15 campaign averaging 8.1 rebounds per game which was second in the SIAC. He also led the conference in blocks (2.8 per game) and averaged 11.8 points a game.
Benedict was picked as the favorite for the east division and received nine firstplace votes. Paine notched the second spot followed by Morehouse, Claflin, Clark Atlanta, Fort Valley State, and Albany State to round out the division.
Stillman grabbed the top spot in the west division and tallied eight first-place votes. Lane was picked second, followed by LeMoyne-Owen, Tuskegee, Miles, Kentucky State, and Spring Hill.
2015-16 SIAC Preseason Team
Denzel Dillingham* Paine
Terrance Bridgeman* Lane
Rodnerius Lewis* Stillman
Tyrone Brown* Morehouse
Arnis Libazs Paine
Tyrius Walker* Morehouse
Maiscei Grier* Miles
Jerry Hampton* LeMoyne-Owen
Adolph Caldwell* Claflin
Brennan Reynard* Benedict
Cornell Bennett Clark Atlanta
Marcus Crenshaw Stillman
Malcolm Smith Kentucky State
Kevin May Tuskegee
Ryan McNeil Moses Claflin
*Denotes players who were automatically selected to preseason team as a result of earning 2014-15 postseason honors.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
East Division (First place votes)
1. Benedict (9)
2. Paine (6)
3. Morehouse (2)
4. Claflin
5. Clark Atlanta
6. Fort Valley State
7. Albany State
West Division
1. Stillman (8)
2. Lane (3)
3. LeMoyne-Owen (3)
4. Tuskegee (1)
5. Miles
6. Kentucky State (1)
7. Central State (1)
8. Spring Hil
Courtesy: SIAC
