Blue Jay Hoopsters Top Men's Basketball Pre-Season Poll

ST. LOUIS - The Westminster College men's basketball team received five first place votes and 68 points overall to top the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Men's Basketball Coaches' Pre-Season Poll.

Westminster is hoping to capture their fourth consecutive regular season conference title, as well as reclaim the tournament championship and make it back to the NCAA Division III tournament in 2011-12. Head coach Matt Mitchell returns a squad that went 17-10 overall and 13-3 in conference play last season and finished in a three-way tie for the regular season SLIAC title. Junior Skylar Tolson, who earned Second Team All-SLIAC honors in 2010-11, returns as one of the top players for the Blue Jays. Tolson averaged 13.5 points per game last year, including 15.3 points in conference games. He started in all but one game for Westminster and dished out a total of 61 assists, tallied 22 steals and posted an impressive .500 three-point shooting percentage (69-of-138). Another top returnee for Westminster is sophomore Joe James, who saw action in all 27 games last season and started in 23. He finished with 7.9 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 26 steals and a team-high 77 assists.

MacMurray College went 13-13 overall and 11-5 in the SLIAC last season. They were chosen to finish second by the league coaches, tallying 62 points in the pre-season poll and receiving two first place votes. Sophomore Dylan Burton is the top returner for MacMurray. Burton earned Honorable Mention All-SLIAC last season and averaged 12.8 points per game, posted a .532 field goal percentage (123-of-231) and had 31 blocks. Head coach Todd Creal will also look to sophomore Brady Slagle and senior Clint Lee to lead his squad in 2011-12. Lee started in all 26 games last season adn averaged 4.9 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game and had 47 assists and 23 steals.

Spalding University and Webster University each received one first place vote and were chosen third and fourth with 58 and 56 points respectively. The two teams shared the regular season conference crown last season along with Westminster. Webster also claimed the 2010-11 SLIAC Tournament Championship as the #1 seed.

Spalding returns junior Jametrius Brasher, who was a Honorable Mention All-SLIAC selection last season after averaging 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in conference play, while also posting a .614 field goal percentage (62-of-101). Other players to watch for the Golden Eagles include Thomas Blakemore (4.9 ppg, 30 assists) and John Hardin (4.4 ppg, 42 assists, 28 steals).

Webster returns junior Cody Bradfisch and sophomores Jarrod Huskey and Hollis Edwards. Huskey was fourth on the Gorloks squad in scoring last year with 9.3 points per game. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds per game and shot .594 (92-of-155) from the field. Bradfisch finished the 2010-11 season with 8.3 points per game and also posted a .548 field goal percentage (63-of-115) and a .827 free throw percentage (43-of-52). Edwards played in all 27 games last season for the Gorloks, averaging 14.9 minutes per game. He dished out 38 assists, tallied 26 steals and had 2.7 points per game.

Eureka College and Greenville College received 39 and 37 points respectively to place fifth and sixth in the pre-season poll. Eureka has an experienced group of returners led by junior Mark Lessen. He averaged 10.9 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game, while also tallying 41 blocks and posting a .589 field goal percentage (96-of-163). Greenville will look to the senior leadership of Second Team All-SLIAC honoree KJ Hilliard. He led the Panthers last season with 12.6 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game and a total of 56 assists and 29 steals. Hilliard also posted a .824 free throw percentage (108-of-131).

Fontbonne University (31 points), Blackburn College (27 points) and Principia College (18 points) rounded out the seventh, eighth and ninth spots in the poll respectively. Fontbonne's Saliou Dioum, a senior and Honorable Mention All-SLIAC in 2010-11, returns with an average of 11.5 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. Blackburn has senior Julian Lott returning. Lott also earned Honorable Mention All-SLIAC last season and finished with 14.3 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game and 96 assists. Senior Colin Angle is the top returner for Principia and brings back an average of 9.8 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 81 assists and 31 steals.

2011-12 SLIAC Men's Basketball
Pre-Season Coaches' Poll
1 - Westminster (5)
2 - MacMurray (2)
3 - Spalding (1)
4 - Webster (1)
5 - Eureka
6 - Greenville
7 - Fontbonne
8 - Blackburn
9 - Principia