Norfolk State senior guard Joe Bryant, Jr.was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year, presented by TowneBank, the conference announced today. In addition, Norfolk State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the MEAC.
All awards were voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.Bryant, the reigning MEAC Player of the Year, was also named the BoxToRow National Player of the Year after leading the Spartans to their second straight MEAC Tournament title, on top of the regular-season crown and a 24-win season. The MEAC Tournament Outstanding Performer for the second straight season, Bryant was second in the MEAC in scoring (16.7 ppg), third in field goal percentage (.432) and 3-pointers made (57), sixth in assists (3.2 apg) and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.1).
He breached the 20-point mark 10 times during the season and scored in double figures 25 times in 31 games. He was named MEAC Player of the Week four times, the most of any MEAC player for the season.
Two-time defending MEAC champion Norfolk State picked up 15 of a possible 16 first-place votes in being named the preseason favorite, while the Eagles of NCCU picked up the other first-place vote in being picked to finish second. Howard and Morgan State were picked to finish third and fourth, respectively.
Coppin State, Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware State and South Carolina State rounded out the predicted order of finish.
Joining Bryant on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Coppin State’s Nendah Tarke, Howard’s Elijah Hawkins, Norfolk State’s Kris Bankston and North Carolina Central’s Justin Wright.
The 2023 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 8-11 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
All-MEAC Teams
Voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directorsPreseason Player of the Year: Joe Bryant, Jr., Norfolk State
FIRST TEAM
| Name | Pos. | Class | Ht. | School | Hometown |
| Nendah Tarke | G | Jr. | 6-4 | Coppin State | Gaithersburg, Md. |
| Elijah Hawkins | G | So. | 5-11 | Howard | Washington, D.C. |
| Kris Bankston | F | Gr. | 6-9 | Norfolk State | Little Rock, Ark. |
| Joe Bryant, Jr. | G | Sr. | 6-1 | Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. |
| Justin Wright | G | Jr. | 6-1 | North Carolina Central | Greenville, N.C. |
SECOND TEAM
| Name | Pos. | Class | Ht. | School | Hometown |
| Steve Settle III | F | r-Jr. | 6-10 | Howard | Glenarden, Md. |
| Da’Shawn Phillip | G | Sr. | 6-5 | Maryland Eastern Shore | Baltimore, Md. |
| Malik Miller | G | Sr. | 6-4 | Morgan State | Washington, D.C. |
| Eric Boone | F | r-Sr. | 6-2 | North Carolina Central | Lexington, Ky. |
| Kris Monroe | F | Sr. | 6-8 | North Carolina Central | Raleigh, N.C. |
THIRD TEAM
| Name | Pos. | Class | Ht. | School | Hometown |
| Corey Perkins | G | So. | 6-2 | Delaware State | Wilmington, Del. |
| Nathaniel Pollard, Jr. | F | Gr. | 6-5 | Maryland Eastern Shore | Richmond, Va. |
| Dana Tate | F | r-Sr. | 6-7 | Norfolk State | Boston, Mass. |
| Brendan Medley-Bacon | C | Sr. | 7-1 | North Carolina Central | Baltimore, Md. |
| Rahsaan Edwards | G | Jr. | 5-11 | South Carolina State | Charles Town, W.Va. |
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
| School (First-Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. Norfolk State (15) | 127 |
| 2. North Carolina Central (1) | 102 |
| 3. Howard | 93 |
| 4. Morgan State | 81 |
| 5. Coppin State | 67 |
| 6. Maryland Eastern Shore | 46 |
| t-7. Delaware State | 30 |
| t-7. South Carolina State | 30 |
