NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - The Wilmington University men's basketball team is ready to take the court this month for the first time in over a year, and were predicted to finish third in the South Division as the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference released its preseason coaches' poll.
The Wildcats garnered two first place votes and 61 total points to land third in the South Division.
When last seen, the Wildcats were competing in the 2019-20 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Semifinals. They finished that season 11-19 overall and 8-11 in the CACC, upsetting the North Division No. 1 seed Post in the quarterfinals.
Thomas Jefferson captured nine first place votes and 81 total points to easily land at No. 1 in the South Division in this year's preseason poll. Crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom picked up the other two first place votes and 68 total points for second, just ahead of the Wildcats. Holy Family earned 53 points to finish fourth and round out the predicted CACC Tournament teams from the South Division
Dominican took home seven first place votes and 65 total points to claim the top spot in the North Division while Bloomfield earned three first place votes and 59 total points for second. Post captured a first place vote and 50 total points for third while Caldwell garnered the other two first place votes and 39 total points to land in fourth and wrap up the predicted teams in the CACC Tournament from the North.
Head coach Dan Burke returns six student-athletes from the 2019-20 squad, including four of the top five leading scorers in Jordan Harding (12.1 points per game) and Danny Walsh (11.2), Kameron Cooper (8.5), and Taalib Holloman (8.0). Harding also led the team with 5.7 rebounds a game. Qadir Burgess and Eli Gibson also return for the Wildcats in 2021-22.
The 2021-22 season begins on Saturday, November 13 when the team travels to Colchester, Vermont to play in the Delta Hotel Doc Jacobs Tipoff Classic against St. Michael's and Assumption.
AGATE
2021-22 CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
North Division
1. Dominican College 65 (7)
2. Bloomfield College 59 (3)
3. Post University 50 (1)
4. Caldwell University 39 (2)
5. Felician University 31
6. Nyack College 23
South Division
1. Thomas Jefferson University 81 (9)
2. Goldey-Beacom College 68 (2)
3. Wilmington University 61 (2)
4. Holy Family University 53
5. Georgian Court University 41
6. Chestnut Hill College 30
7. University of the Sciences 23
() - First-Place Votes in Parenthesis