2014-15 ESU Quick Facts (PDF):  Men  l  Women

PSAC Preseason Releases:  Men  l  Women
* Videos:  Men  l  Women

Morning Call (Tom Housenick): PSAC poll story  l  Wilson's Warriors ready for more March Memories

EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University, the defending PSAC men's basketball champion, has been picked as the preseason favorite in the PSAC East in a poll of the division's coaches, the conference announced Thursday.
 
ESU, coming off a historic 30-2 season, has three returning all-conference players on the preseason All-PSAC East team in senior guards Whis Grant and Matt Tobin, both first team picks last year, and sophomore forward Rasheed Moore, the reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Year.
 
The Warriors are the preseason favorite for the third time in five years and have been picked to finish in the top two in each of the last five seasons. They were also the preseason favorite in 2010-11 (finishing tied for third) and 2012-13 (winning the PSAC East title), and were picked second in 2013-14 before winning their third regular season title since 2010.
 
ESU's women are picked fifth in the PSAC East and are coming off their first PSAC quarterfinal appearance since 2008, and first winning record (15-13) since 2007.
 
Junior forward Jessica Martin was named to the preseason All-PSAC East team. Martin, a three-time All-PSAC East selection, was named to the first team last winter and was the PSAC East Freshman of the Year in 2012.
 
In the men's preseason poll, ESU received eight of the nine first-place votes after winning its second PSAC championship in three years (2012, 2014), advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the fourth time in five years (2010, 2012-14), hosting the Atlantic Regional and reaching the regional final for the second time in school history (also 1990).
 
The Warriors were 15-1 in the PSAC East last year to earn their second straight PSAC East regular season title, and third in the last five years.
 
ESU can become the first program to win three straight PSAC East regular season titles since Millersville did it from 1985-87.
 
Head coach Jeff Wilson was named the DII national Coach of the Year by two organizations - the Basketball Times and CollegeInsider.com - after guiding the Warriors to just the fourth 30-win season in PSAC history.
 
ESU is ranked in the top five of all three national preseason polls - No. 4 by The Sporting News and the Basketball Times, and No. 5 by the DII Bulletin - and finished No. 2 in last year's final NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) poll entering the NCAA Tournament.
 
ESU is followed in the preseason poll by West Chester, last year's PSAC runner-up in ESU's 92-80 win in the PSAC championship game. Lock Haven, which dealt ESU its only regular season loss (82-80) on February 6, is picked third. Bloomsburg, Kutztown, Millersville, Mansfield, Shippensburg and Cheyney are listed fourth through ninth.
 
In the women's PSAC East poll, West Chester is the preseason favorite with four first-place votes, edging defending regular season champ Bloomsburg, which gained five first-place votes. Shippensburg is third, followed by Millersville, ESU, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield and Cheyney.
 
The top six teams in both of the PSAC's nine-team divisions will advance to the postseason tournament, the conference's third year under that format.
 
All 22 conference games (16 divisional, 6 crossover) will count towards the PSAC standings. Each school will play six of the nine schools in its opposite division.
 
ESU MEN
 
ESU returns four of its five starters after a historic season in 2013-14. The Warriors opened 20-0 and went 25-1 in the regular season before posting wins over Millersville (78-58), Mercyhurst (63-55) and West Chester (92-80) at Koehler Fieldhouse to earn their second PSAC championship in three years.
 
ESU was selected to host the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional and notched wins over Livingstone (99-98) and Gannon (66-58) before falling to West Liberty, the eventual national runner-up, 89-82 in the regional final.
 
Wilson, named DII Coach of the Year by two organizations and the NABC Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for the second time in five years, was not recognized as the PSAC East Coach of the Year despite the Warriors coming within one possession of the PSAC's first undefeated regular season since 1966.
 
Wilson has a career record of 213-129 entering his 13th season and is two wins from ESU's career record of 215 held by Ken Sisson. He has guided ESU to a five-year record of 112-39 (.742) and a three-year record of 72-21 (.774), making five straight PSAC Final Four's. ESU can become the second school to reach six straight Final Four's in the last 30 years, matching California's run in the PSAC West from 1992-97.
 
Wilson's Warriors teams have made their reputation with a 94-foot, full-court style which continues to produce results. ESU earned a national statistical championship for turnover margin (+6.97) and ranked third nationally in stelas (10.59) to fuel its 30-2 record in 2014. ESU also led the PSAC in scoring (85.2 ppg) for the third time in five years.
 
Senior guards Whis Grant and Matt Tobin and sophomore forward Rasheed Moore are all returning All-PSAC East selections. ESU is the first PSAC school to return three all-conference players since 2009 (Kutztown), and the second to return three all-conference players from a championship team in the last 30 years along with IUP in 1995.
 
Grant - a two-time All-American, a preseason All-American by two organizations and the 2013 PSAC East Athlete of the Year - ranks third among active DII players with 1,487 career points.
 
Grant has been ESU's top scorer all three years, averaging 13.9 points as a freshman on ESU's 2012 PSAC championship team and 17.6 points in both of the last two seasons. He ranks fourth in school history in career points and ranks second in career three-pointers with 210.
 
He can become ESU's second three-time, first-team All-PSAC East selection, joining three-time Player of the Year Jonathan Roberts (1988-90).
 
Tobin, also named to the first team last year, led the PSAC and ranked 10th in DII with 6.4 assists per game. He also led the PSAC with 2.2 steals per game and a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Tobin averaged 9.1 points in his second season as a starter, guiding the Warriors to a 52-9 record and two straight PSAC East regular season titles. After scoring 2,350 points in high school at Hopatcong (N.J.), Tobin is 99 assists from ESU's career record and his 205 assists last season were the second-most in school history.
 
Moore, the PSAC East Freshman of the Year and a second team All-PSAC East selection, was second on the Warriors with 13.6 ppg and had a team-high 6.3 rpg while starting 31 of 32 games. His 435 points and 203 rebounds were both the second-most by a freshman in school history, and he earned a spot on the DII Bulletin All-Freshman Team.
 
Junior guard Jamal Nwaniemeka posted 12.6 points per game in his first season at ESU after transferring from Division I Rider. He was the PSAC Tournament MVP, scoring a career-high 27 points (22 in the second half) of the 92-80 PSAC championship game victory over West Chester.
 
ESU replaces just one senior in forward Zechariah Runkle, who averaged 5.0 points and 6.0 rebounds and provided tremendous leadership in his final season as a Warrior.
 
Senior forward Lamont Tillery is a top candidate to move into the starting lineup. A three-year letterwinner, Tillery averaged 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in about 17 minutes per game last season.
 
Redshirt senior guard Will Brown led ESU's bench with 9.1 points per game in 2013-14, his first season on the floor since his true freshman year in 2010-11 after missing the last two years due to injury. Brown hit 61 three-pointers after knocking down 48 as a freshman.
 
Redshirt senior guard Muhamadou Kaba is also expected to make an impact, posting 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in eight minutes per game last season.

In the frontcourt, juniors Dajon Todmann (2.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Wes Cherry and sophomores Sultan Aminu (3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg) and Steve Harris (2.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg) will provide options for Wilson.
 
Newcomers are redshirt sophomore guard Marquis Marshall (transfer from Towson), freshman point guard Jakwan Jones, redshirt junior guard Quindell Brice (Pocono Mountain West/Harcum JC), redshirt freshman guard Steven Stoney, freshman forward Chris Bing and redshirt freshman Vadjikiba Dasso, a native of Saint-Denis, France.
 
The preseason All-PSAC East team includes four returning first team selections in Grant, Tobin, Athlete of the Year Wali Hepburn (Lock Haven) and Joe Bell (Mansfield).
 
Grant and Bell are both two-time first team picks, with Grant named PSAC East Athlete of the Year as a sophomore in 2013. Bell is a three-time all-conference selection, earning Freshman of the Year and a spot on the second team in 2012.
 
Tobin's All-PSAC East first team nod was the first of his career. Hepburn was named to the PSAC West second team in 2013.
 
Rounding out the preseason team are ESU's Moore and West Chester's Cory Blake, a two-time second team selection.
 
In the PSAC West preseason poll, Gannon is the favorite, gaining six first-place votes. The Golden Knights shared last year's divisional title with IUP and advanced to the PSAC semifinals, where they fell to West Chester.
 
IUP, which has won three of the last five PSAC titles (2010, 2011, 2013) and at least a share of five straight PSAC West crowns, is picked second. Mercyhurst is third, followed by Slippery Rock, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, California, Edinboro and Clarion.
 
ESU will face Gannon (away, Dec. 16) and IUP (home, Jan. 3) as part of its crossover schedule. The Warriors will also host Pitt-Johnstown and Seton Hill and travel to California and Clarion.
 
Reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year Adam Blazek (Gannon) headlines the preseason team and is joined by teammates A'Darius Porter and Raphell Thomas-Edwards. Blazek is the only returner on the All-PSAC West first team from last season. The list also includes Devante Chance (IUP), Kameron Taylor (Seton Hill) and Ian Vescovi (Pitt-Johnstown).
 
ESU WOMEN
 
ESU returns five starters for its fifth season under head coach Maureen Smith, coming off the Warriors' first winning season since 2007 (going 15-13) and first PSAC quarterfinal appearance since 2008.
 
The Warriors are looking for their third straight PSAC Tournament trip overall after being picked fifth in the preseason poll. They advanced to the quarterfinals last year with a 49-48 win at Millersville, and fell 42-31 at Millersville in the first round in 2013.
 
ESU's fifth-place finish and 9-7 PSAC East record last year represented its best finish since placing fourth in 2008, and best divisional record since 2007 (11-1).
 
The Warriors thrived on the defensive end in 2013-14, leading the PSAC in field goal defense (37.8) and blocked shots (4.9), ranking third in steals (10.3) and 4th in scoring defense (62.9 ppg). They were 9-1 when holding opponents under 60 points, including the PSAC Tournament first round win at Millersville.
 
Senior forward Martin, one of two current PSAC players named to three straight all-conference teams, anchors the Warriors offensively and defensively while earning a spot on the preseason All-PSAC East squad.
 
Martin has led ESU in scoring and rebounding two straight seasons, and in blocked shots in all three of her seasons at ESU. She averaged 12.5 points and 8.4 rebound as a junior in 2013 after posting 11.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg as a sophomore.
 
Defensively, Martin ranks second in ESU history and 10th in PSAC history with 207 career blocked shots. She has ranked in the top 20 in DII all three years, finishing 12th (2.6 per game) last season. She set a PSAC freshman record with 76 blocks in 2012, when she was the PSAC East Freshman of the Year.
 
She enters her senior year ranked 16th at ESU in career scoring (888 points) and eighth in rebounding (648).
 
Martin, sophomore forward Allison Howard, senior guard Ryann Fiascki and junior guards Melissa Poderis and Helena Gemmell all return from the Warriors' starting lineup a year ago. Senior guard Andrea Veres also returns with a medical redshirt after missing all but six games last season.
 
Howard impressed as a freshman, leading ESU in minutes (28.4 per game) and ranking second in scoring (11.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) in her first collegiate season. Howard and Martin combined to average 23.8 points and 15.5 rebounds - 35 percent of ESU's scoring and 37 percent of its rebounding for the season.
 
Fiascki enters her fourth year as ESU's starting point guard, averaging 8.5 points and 2.5 assists over 80 career games - including 72 starts. She posted 9.1 points and 2.3 assists per game as a junior and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in the Warriors' 49-48 win at Millersville in the PSAC Tournament first round.
 
Poderis averaged 4.6 points and a team-high 2.6 assists as a sophomore in her first season as a starter. Gemmell recorded 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals (sixth in the PSAC) in 28 games, including 10 starts.
 
Veres is averaging 8.7 points per game in her career and has ranked among ESU's top three scorers in each of her first three full seasons. She enters 2014-15 with 738 career points and 116 career three-pointers, fifth in school history.
 
ESU returns 13 letterwinners overall and 10 of its 12 players who saw at least 100 minutes of action last season.
 
Returners in the frontcourt include junior center Michelle Boggs (4.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 24 blocks), senior forward Kelsey Murray (3.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and sophomore forward Madison Tamburini (1.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg).
 
The backcourt includes junior Tyeca Reviere (3.2 ppg, 39 assists) and sophomores Rachel Falkowski (1.4 ppg), Courtney Brown and Jackie Hillson.
 
The Warriors have just three newcomers - freshman guard Imani Brown, freshman forward Rebecca Rutkowski and freshman center Madeleine Wallace.
 
Ten of the 12 players on last year's All-PSAC East teams return, with four first-teamers leading this year's preseason squad.
 
Martin is joined by returning first team selections Dallas Ely (West Chester), Brittany Sicinski (West Chester) and Stephanie Knauer (Shippensburg). Sicinski and Knauer both have two all-conference awards and Knauer was the PSAC East Freshman of the Year in 2013.
 
Also on the preseason team are Jocelyn Ford (Bloomsburg) and Carly Gallagher (Millersville).
 
In the PSAC West, Edinboro is the preseason favorite - gaining seven first-place votes - and has won three of the last four PSAC championships (2011, 2012 and 2014) while advancing to four straight PSAC Final Four's.
 
Gannon, the runner-up the last two years, is second, followed by California, IUP, Pitt-Johnstown, Mercyhurst, Slippery Rock, Seton Hill and Clarion.
 
The PSAC West returns six first team players, all of whom are on the preseason all-conference team. There were seven first-team selections last year due to ties with Jen Papich (Gannon) the only player who graduated.
 
Edinboro's Valerie Majewski, the reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year, is joined by teammate Aignee Freeland, along with Nettie Blake (Gannon), D'Asia Chambers (Slippery Rock), Hannah Heeter (Clarion) and Lindsay Stamp (IUP). Heeter is the only two-time first team player and was named to the second team as a freshman.
 
 
PRESEASON POLLS
 
MEN - PSAC East
1. ESU (8)
2. West Chester (1)
3. Lock Haven
4. Bloomsburg
5. Kutztown
6. Millersville
7. Mansfield
8. Shippensburg
9. Cheyney
 
MEN - PSAC West
1. Gannon (6)
2. IUP (3)
3. Mercyhurst
4. Slippery Rock
5. Pitt-Johnstown
6. Seton Hill
7. California
8. Edinboro
9. Clarion
 
MEN - East Preseason All-PSAC
Whis Grant, ESU
Matt Tobin, ESU
Rasheed Moore, ESU
Wali Hepburn, Lock Haven
Joe Bell, Mansfield
Cory Blake, West Chester
 
MEN - West Preseason All-PSAC
Adam Blazek, Gannon
Raphell Thomas-Edwards, Gannon
A'Darius Porter, Gannon
Devante Chance, IUP
Kameron Taylor, Seton Hill
Ian Vescovi, Pitt-Johnstown
 
 
WOMEN - PSAC East
1. West Chester (4)
2. Bloomsburg (5)
3. Shippensburg
4. Millersville
5. ESU
6. Kutztown
7. Lock Haven
8. Mansfield
9. Cheyney
 
WOMEN - PSAC West
1. Edinboro (7)
2. Gannon (2)
3. California
4. IUP
5. Pitt-Johnstown
6. Mercyhurst
7. Slippery Rock
8. Seton Hill
9. Clarion
 
WOMEN - East Preseason All-PSAC
Jessica Martin, ESU
Dallas Ely, West Chester
Brittany Sicinski, West Chester
Jocelyn Ford, Bloomsburg
Stephanie Knauer, Shippensburg
Carly Gallagher, Millersville
 
WOMEN - West Preseason All-PSAC
Aignee Freeland, Edinboro
Valerie Majewski, Edinboro
D'Asia Chambers, Slippery Rock
Nettie Blake, Gannon
Hannah Heeter, Clarion
Lindsay Stamp, IUP