Purple Knights Listed Number Three In ECC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll
UB Set To Open Regular Season At Home On Novemebr 12th
Central Islip, N.Y. – After winning their first-ever East Coast Conference Championship in 2015-16, St. Thomas Aquinas sits atop the league's men's basketball preseason poll in a vote by the conference's head coaches. The coaches also selected St. Thomas Aquinas junior guard/forward, Justin Reyes (Havehill, Mass.), as the Preseason Player of the Year.
After losing in the championship game of the previous two ECC Championships, St. Thomas Aquinas finally got over the hump by capturing their first-ever league title a year ago. The Spartans, who have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in preseason Top 25 polls, are the overwhelming favorite heading in to this season after receiving nine of 10 first place votes to top the ECC poll. Most of last year's roster that finished 27-5 with a 21 game winning streak is back for another shot at a title. Twelve student-athletes who totaled 95 percent of last year's scoring are back, including All-Conference First Team selection, Chaz Watler, the reigning ECC Rookie of the Year, Jonathan Lawton, and Reyes.
Reyes won the conference's Player of the Year honor as a sophomore after taking home Rookie of the Year laurels in his debut season. Last season, Reyes was a double-double machine, finishing second in all of Division II with 19 on the season. Overall, he finished the season with averages of 17.4 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game, while also leading the conference with a field goal percentage of 61.2. He also ranked in the top-five in the ECC with 56 steals and 44 blocks.
LIU Post was the runner-up in the poll after receiving the final first place vote. The two through five spots of the poll were tightly contested with only seven points separating second and fifth. Bridgeport, District of Columbia, and Daemen, all ECC Championship participants a year ago, followed the Pioneers in the poll.
2016-17 ECC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Team | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (9) | 99 | 27-5 (18-2 ECC) |
| 2. LIU Post (1) | 76 | 18-12 (12-8 ECC) |
| 3. Bridgeport | 75 | 15-14 (12-8 ECC) |
| 4. District of Columbia | 70 | 15-14 (13-7 ECC) |
| 5. Daemen | 69 | 19-10 (14-6 ECC) |
| 6. Mercy | 42 | 13-15 (9-11 ECC) |
| T7. Molloy | 37 | 9-19 (7-13 ECC) |
| T7. Queens | 37 | 11-14 (9-11 ECC) |
| 9. NYIT | 27 | 3-24 (2-18 ECC) |
| 10. Roberts Wesleyan | 18 | 8-18 (5-15 ECC) |
Preseason Player of the Year - Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas (6-4, Jr., G/F, Havehill, Mass.)