2003-2004 CUNYAC / Con Edison Men's Basketball Preview

Baruch & York Selected To Win Men's Hoops Divisions

Bronx, NY - Baruch and York were selected by the City University of New York men’s basketball coaches to win their respective divisions this season. Baruch was the top vote getter in the North Division and received five (5) first-place votes. York garnered four (4) first-place votes and was the top vote getter in the South Division.

Pre-Season Poll Results

North Division
1. Baruch (5), 2. John Jay (2), 3. CCNY (2), 4. Lehman (1), 5. Hunter

Baruch (25-5, 10-3 CUNYAC)
Baruch will return three starters off a team that went 25-5 (10-3 CUNY) and won the ECAC Tournament in 2002-2003. The Bearcats figure to have a nice balance of size and shooting ability with junior forward Sime Marnika (10.0 ppg., 8.8 rpg.), senior center Garry Etienne (10.6 ppg., 7.7 rpg.) and senior guard Joe Longobardi (9.4 ppg., 60 three-point goals) still in the fold. Junior guard John Burzo (9.7 ppg., 35 three-point goals) will also see plenty of action.

John Jay (10-16, 6-7 CUNYAC)
Head Coach Mike Brown returns to CUNY and the former CUNYAC Coach of the Year (Hunter, 1998) will try to revitalize “Bloodhound Nation”. John Jay returns eight players from last year’s 10-16 team, including junior guard Timmy White (18.5 ppg.) and senior guard Pablo Palma (13.6 ppg.). White, a Second Team CUNY All-Star last season is the most accurate long-range shooter in the league as he connected on forty-six percent of his three-point attempts last season, which was good for tenth in the nation.

CCNY (17-12, 9-4 CUNYAC)
The defending CUNY champions figure to be in rebuilding mode after losing nearly their entire squad. Junior point guard Avain Guardine, who averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 assists per game last season, is the lone returning starter. A great defender, Guardine will be asked to direct an extremely inexperienced group. Senior guard Jay Frank will give the Beavers some solid outside shooting from the two-guard spot. Junior transfer Mike Loubier should cause some match-up problems with his shooting and post-up abilities and 6’4" transfer Kehinde Cunningham should be a load on the block.

Lehman (15-13, 8-5 CUNYAC)
The Lightning will only return one starter, senior Amil Hector, and will welcome a host of newcomers. Hector is a strong defender, as evidenced by his 43 streals last season. Senior guard Jonathan Rojas, a Second Team All-Star in 2001-2002, will return to the team after a one-year absence. Rojos averaged 11.4 points and 4.3 assists two seasons ago. Junior Miguel Jorge (8.3 ppg.) is a terrific three-point shooter as he connected on forty percent (36-91) of his attempts last season. Junior Michael Turner (5.2 ppg., 4.1 rpg.) blocked a team-high 36 shots last season and is expected to provide the team with some good inside play.

Hunter (8-18, 7-6 CUNYAC)
Hunter’s opponents can expect to be involved in a track meet each night as Hawk’s head coach Bill Healy would like to play an up-tempo brand of basketball this season. Healy anticipates using three guards in the starting rotation who will apply a great deal of defensive pressure. Senior Ricardo Reimers (17.4 ppg.) finished sixth in the league in scoring last season and will be joined by Second Team All-CUNY guard Lorcan Precious (15.0 ppg.), perhaps the top point guard in the league. Junior guard Donte King (9.8 ppg.) will also play a key role.

South Division
1. York (4), 2. Staten Island (5), 3. City Tech (1), 4. Brooklyn, 5. Medgar Evers

York (10-15, 7-6 CUNYAC)
Sophomore forward Kwesi Liverpool (14.1 ppg.) and junior forward Michael Thompson (11.2 ppg.) are quality CUNY performers. Thompson is also an excellent rebounder (6.5 pg.) and should be aided by the arrival of 6’9" freshman center Will Jones and 6’8" freshman center Terrin Johnson. Senior guard Jesse Cotton (27 three-pointers) is a three-point specialist.

Staten Island (15-11, 9-4 CUNYAC)
Junior guard Michael Stewart, the 2002-2003 CUNY Most Valuable Player, will return for Staten Island after averaging 19.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game a season ago. The Dolphins who finished 15-11 last season and won the CUNY Southern Division title, will also have head coach Tony Petosa back after he took a one-year sabbatical from the team last year. Junior center Michael Nebavlakis (11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds) is expected to be the teams top inside presence.

City Tech (6-20, 2-11 CUNYAC)
Head coach Ray Amalbert expects his team to turn the corner this season and has two strong returning players to help him do so. Amalbert is thrilled to have 6’7" center Shacun Malave (Second Team All-CUNY) available to him for the entire season after he averaged 19.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks in just 17 games last season. Senior guard Nkosi Hamilton averaged 12.8 points per game and was third in the league with 65 steals. Senior Guard Roger Redhead (9.0 ppg., 42 three-point goals) is the Yellow Jackets top returning long-range bomber.

Brooklyn (8-18, 4-9 CUNYAC)
Brooklyn returns three starters, led by Division III Met Writers Third Team All-Star Jason Fulford. Fulford, a junior guard, finished fourth in the league in scoring (18.1 pg.), third in assists (4.2 pg.) and was second in steals (3.27 pg.). Along with the multi-dimensional Fulford, sophomore guard Jeffrey Jean-Baptiste (12.1 ppg., 2.0 spg.) gives the Bridges one of the best backcourt combinations in the conference. Sophomore forward Tes Choudri (10.0 ppg.) is the teams top frontcourt performer.

Medgar Evers (6-20, 3-10 CUNYAC)
Medgar Evers will welcome eight freshmen this season to go along with three sophomores and just one senior. Senior guard Shaun Jerome is expected to provide great leadership and scoring. Junior forward Winston Marsh and sophomore forward Paget Williams figure to be key contributors as will newcomer Sidney Jackson, also a sophomore forward. Sophomore guard Jamaal Jessimy along with Jerome will provide the team with good outside shooting.