Mansfield, Mass. - The Le Moyne College men's basketball team has been selected fourth in the Southwest Division in the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll. The poll is voted on by the league's 14 head coaches and was announced Thursday afternoon.
"I am excited to be having a season and hopefully we can get back to some normalcy this season!" said head coach Nate Champion '14. "The NE10 is going to be as strong as ever, so I am excited to get back out on the court and compete with other great teams."
Adelphi University was selected as the top pick for the Southwest Division, receiving 78 points and six first place votes. The University of New Haven was picked second and received 74 points and three first place votes. Southern Connecticut State University was selected third with 69 points and four first place votes. The Dolphins followed in fourth with 56 points and the final first-place vote. Pace University came in behind the Dolphins with 48 points and American International College and The College of Saint Rose tied for the last spot with 30 points.
On the Northeast side of the conference, Saint Anselm College was selected to finish first with 91 points and all 13 possible first-place votes. Bentley University followed with 70 points and the other first-place vote. Stonehill was selected third with 63 points, Southern New Hampshire was fourth with 56, and Assumption was fifth with 43 points. Franklin Pierce was sixth with 35 points and Saint Michael's was selected seventh with 27 points.
The last time the Dolphins stepped on the court was a two-point loss to New Haven in the NE10 tournament, on March 1, 2020. Their NCAA regional game against St. Anselm was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dolphins finished the season 19-9 (15-4 in conference play) and claimed their fourth straight Southwest Division title. They entered the conference tournament as the top seed in the Southwest Division, but were bested in the quarterfinals by fifth-seeded New Haven, in a game where the Dolphins rallied from a 23 point deficit, barely falling short. They were then selected as the fifth seed in the NCAA East Regional, which was never played.
Senior Nino Hernandez (Gardner, Mass./The Winchendon School/ Bryant) is the only member of the team who has suited up in a Dolphins uniform. Head coach Nate Champion brought in 11 new faces for the 2020-2021 season but that season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coach Champion adds six new players for this season's class, including two freshmen and four transfers.
Coach Champion also adds two new coaches to the staff. Ben Swank was named assistant coach in August and Jermelle Fraser was announced this week.
It was announced on October 19, 2021 that, for the first time in more than a decade, all Dolphin home games will be broadcast on commercial radio, via FOX Sports Radio. The Dolphins tip off an exhibition with Syracuse University on Monday November 1 at the Carrier Dome. Regular season play will begin on November 16, as the Dolphins travel to Indiana University of Pennsylvania. NE10 conference play will begin November 20, as the Dolphins take on New Haven at home.
