Central Islip, N.Y. – The University of
Bridgeport men’s basketball team has been selected by the
coaches of the East Coast Conference to win their third straight
ECC title during the 2014-15 season. The league’s coaches
also selected Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y.) of Daemen and Darien
Davis (Middle Island, N.Y.) of Dowling as the Co-Preseason Player
of the Year.
After taking home a second straight ECC title and third in five
seasons during the 2013-14 campaign, Bridgeport received five first
place votes and 113 points to top the preseason poll. The Purple
Knights received the top spot in the poll despite returning only
one of their top seven scorers from last year's roster (Ernest
Rouse - 8.6 points per game).
LIU Post is the runner up in the poll with 107 points and two first
place votes. In stark contrast to Bridgeport, the Pioneers return
all but one player from a roster that posted a 17-12 record a
season ago.
Daemen finishes the top three with two first place and 88 points.
The Wildcats were winners of the ECC Regular Season Championship in
their debut season in the conference, but were ineligible to
advance to the ECC Championship as NCAA Provisional Members.
Despite their high perch in the poll, Daemen is still not eligible
for ECC or NCAA post-season play once again this year, in their
third and final season in the transition from being NAIA members to
NCAA Division II.
Dowling, who was the top seed in last year's ECC Championship, and
District of Columbia round out the first place vote recipients,
with one apiece.
Beverly and Davis share the honor of Preseason Player of the Year
after outstanding junior campaigns last season. Beverly, a First
Team All-Conference selection and the conference's reigning
Defensive Player of the Year, helped guide Daemen to the top spot
in the league standings as a force in the paint. The 6-7 forward
poured in 18.9 ppg on 57.3 percent shooting from the field and was
the only player in the conference to average double digit rebounds,
pulling down 10.0 per game. Beverly swatted away 111 shots to
average 4.0 blocks per game, as well. Both totals rank in the
top-five in ECC history for a single-season.
Davis was a dynamic scorer for the Golden Lions, averaging 20.9 ppg
to become the first player to top the 20 point mark at Dowling
since the 2001-02 season. Davis, who joined Beverly as a First Team
All-Conference honoree and was named to the National Association of
Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Second Team, shot 48.4
percent from the field. He also finished in the top 10 in the
conference in field goals made (194), three-point field goal
percentage (37.6), free throws made (133), steals (55), and steals
per game (2.0).
2014-2015 ECC
Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| Team | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| 1. Bridgeport (5) | 113 | 18-11 (14-6 ECC) |
| 2. LIU Post (2) | 107 | 17-12 (12-8 ECC) |
| 3. Daemen (2) | 88 | 21-7 (17-3 ECC) |
| 4. St. Thomas Aquinas | 76 | 15-14 (9-11 ECC) |
| 5. Dowling (1) | 75 | 22-7 (16-4 ECC) |
| 6. Queens | 62 | 9-18 (9-11 ECC) |
| 7. Molloy | 56 | 17-13 (13-7 ECC) |
| 8. NYIT | 54 | 10-16 (8-12 ECC) |
| 9. District of Columbia (1) | 42 | 3-23 (1-19 ECC) |
| 10. Roberts Wesleyan | 37 | 13-16 (8-12 ECC) |
| 11. Mercy | 16 | 3-23 (3-17 ECC) |
( ) - First Place Votes
Co-Preseason Player of the Year: Gerald Beverly,
Daemen (6-7, Sr., F, Rochester, N.Y.)
Co-Preseason Player of the Year: Darien Davis,
Dowling (6-3, Sr., G, Middle Island, N.Y.)
