NCAC Basketball Media Day

Edited: Nov. 1, 2007

WOOSTER MEN, DENISON AND KENYON WOMEN FAVORED
AS NCAC PREPS FOR 24TH BASKETBALL CAMPAIGN

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Wooster's men and Denison and Kenyon's women were tabbed as the favorites in preseason voting by both league coaches and members of the media after the North Coast Athletic Conference's 24th annual Basketball Media Day, which was held today via teleconference.

Complete Release

Defending champion Wooster topped second-place Ohio Wesleyan in the men's balloting after picking up eight of 10 possible first-place votes from the coaches and 20 of 22 from the media. In fact, the coaches and media predicted the exact same finish for the 10 league squads, with one exception. The Battling Bishops, in second, earned one first-place nod from coaches and earned the remaining two from the media. Wittenberg, with one first-place vote from league coaches, was third, followed by Wabash in fourth. In the coaches' poll, Kenyon finished fifth, followed by Allegheny in sixth, while the media reversed the order. Hiram, Earlham, Oberlin and Denison rounded out places seven through eight, respectively, in both polls.

The Fighting Scots return eight letterwinners and three starters from a team that went 29-5 overall and was edged out in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Scots' top returning scorers are senior James Cooper (Springfield, OH/South) and junior Brandon Johnson (Columbus, OH/Groveport Madison) who averaged 18.0 and 11.0 points per game, respectively, last winter.

Defending NCAC regular season and tournament champion Denison took six of nine first-place votes for 76 points in the women's coaches' poll to outdistance Kenyon by a nine-point margin. The coaches predicted the Ladies would finish second and gave them two first-place votes. Media members awarded both the Big Red and Kenyon nine of the 20 available first-place nods, however they felt that Kenyon would claim the conference championship, followed by Denison in second. Wittenberg was tabbed third in both polls; the Tigers picked up the remaining first-place vote from league coaches, as well as one from the media. Ohio Wesleyan, which earned the remaining first-place nod from the media, was tabbed fourth, followed by Allegheny in fifth and Wooster in sixth. The coaches slotted Earlham, Oberlin and Hiram in places seven through nine, respectively, while the media mixed things up with Oberlin in seventh, followed by Earlham in eighth.

The Big Red return 10 letterwinners and two starters from a team that earned its first conference title and its third straight NCAC tournament crown. Denison compiled a sterling 25-5 overall record a year ago and bowed out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Denison's top returning scorer and rebounder is junior Carolyn Simpson (Dublin, OH/Scioto), who averaged 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season.

Kenyon returns nine letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad that compiled a 10-6 conference record and earned a trip to the league tournament. The Ladies' top returnees include senior forward Anne Dugan (Dublin, OH/Watterson) and Hilary Gowins (Delaware, OH/Watterson), who averaged 11.5 and 10.8 points per game, respectively, in 2006-07.

The 2007-08 season opens on Friday, Nov. 16. The NCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February, with the men's and women's semifinals and finals at the site of the respective high seeds on Feb. 29 - Mar. 1.

MEDIA DAY INFO 07-08 Preseason Polls Men's Basketball Coach Bios (M) 06-07 Stats NCAC Men's Basketball Page Women's Basketball Coach Bios (W) 06-07 Stats NCAC Women's Basketball Page Minute-by-Minute Agenda	*Edited:* Nov. 1, 2007 WOOSTER MEN, DENISON AND KENYON WOMEN FAVORED AS NCAC PREPS FOR 24TH BASKETBALL CAMPAIGN CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Wooster's men and Denison and Kenyon's women were tabbed as the favorites in preseason voting by both league coaches and members of the media after the North Coast Athletic Conference's 24th annual Basketball Media Day, which was held today via teleconference. Complete Release Defending champion Wooster topped second-place Ohio Wesleyan in the men's balloting after picking up eight of 10 possible first-place votes from the coaches and 20 of 22 from the media. In fact, the coaches and media predicted the exact same finish for the 10 league squads, with one exception. The Battling Bishops, in second, earned one first-place nod from coaches and earned the remaining two from the media. Wittenberg, with one first-place vote from league coaches, was third, followed by Wabash in fourth. In the coaches' poll, Kenyon finished fifth, followed by Allegheny in sixth, while the media reversed the order. Hiram, Earlham, Oberlin and Denison rounded out places seven through eight, respectively, in both polls. The Fighting Scots return eight letterwinners and three starters from a team that went 29-5 overall and was edged out in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Scots' top returning scorers are senior James Cooper (Springfield, OH/South) and junior Brandon Johnson (Columbus, OH/Groveport Madison) who averaged 18.0 and 11.0 points per game, respectively, last winter. Defending NCAC regular season and tournament champion Denison took six of nine first-place votes for 76 points in the women's coaches' poll to outdistance Kenyon by a nine-point margin. The coaches predicted the Ladies would finish second and gave them two first-place votes. Media members awarded both the Big Red and Kenyon nine of the 20 available first-place nods, however they felt that Kenyon would claim the conference championship, followed by Denison in second. Wittenberg was tabbed third in both polls; the Tigers picked up the remaining first-place vote from league coaches, as well as one from the media. Ohio Wesleyan, which earned the remaining first-place nod from the media, was tabbed fourth, followed by Allegheny in fifth and Wooster in sixth. The coaches slotted Earlham, Oberlin and Hiram in places seven through nine, respectively, while the media mixed things up with Oberlin in seventh, followed by Earlham in eighth. The Big Red return 10 letterwinners and two starters from a team that earned its first conference title and its third straight NCAC tournament crown. Denison compiled a sterling 25-5 overall record a year ago and bowed out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Denison's top returning scorer and rebounder is junior Carolyn Simpson (Dublin, OH/Scioto), who averaged 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season. Kenyon returns nine letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad that compiled a 10-6 conference record and earned a trip to the league tournament. The Ladies' top returnees include senior forward Anne Dugan (Dublin, OH/Watterson) and Hilary Gowins (Delaware, OH/Watterson), who averaged 11.5 and 10.8 points per game, respectively, in 2006-07. The 2007-08 season opens on Friday, Nov. 16. The NCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February, with the men's and women's semifinals and finals at the site of the respective high seeds on Feb. 29 - Mar. 1.

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