BEAVERTON, ORE – After its most successful season in program history, the SUNYIT men's basketball team will enter the 2010-11 season ranked 19th in the nation by DIII News, the publication announced in its Preseason Preview issue earlier this week.
The Wildcats are coming off their greatest season ever, winning their second straight North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) championship and making their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. They made some noise while there, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever and finishing the season with a program-best record of 26-5. Head coach and SUNYIT Athletics Director Kevin Grimmer was recognized for these accomplishments, as he was named the Coach of the Year for the NEAC, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) East Region, the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, Inc. (BCANY) and the D3Hoops.com East Region.
Defending NCAA Division III national basketball champion Wisconsin Stevens Point, who finished 29-4 and will return most of last year's squad, were ranked No. 1. Illinois Wesleyan came in at No. 2, followed by Eastern Mennonite, Carthage and Williams, who defeated SUNYIT in the Sweet 16 last season. Rounding out the top 10 are Randolph-Macon, Franklin & Marshall, Wooster, St. Thomas and Washington (Mo.).
The Wildcats will open the season on Friday, November 19 when they host local rival Utica College at the Campus Center Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
The 2010 DIII News Preseason Top 25:
1. Wis. Stevens Point
2. Ill. Wesleyan
3. Eastern Mennonite
4. Carthage
5. Williams
6. Randolph-Macon
7. Franklin & Marshall
8. Wooster
9. St. Thomas
10. Washington (Mo.)
11. Rhode Island College
12. St. Mary's (Md.)
13. Guilford
14. Hope
15. Whitworth
16. St. Norbert
17. Texas-Dallas
18. MIT
19. SUNYIT
20. John Carroll
21. Plattsburgh St.
22. Anderson
23. SUNY Purchase
24. Middlebury
25. Merchant Marine
Others to watch:
Wisconsin Whitewater, Richard Stockton, Brandeis, Albertus Magnus, St. John Fisher, Cabrini, Maryville, Birmingham Southern, Albright Occidental, DePauw, Claremont, DeSales, Chapman, Medaille
DIII News is published by GSR Communications, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary season of covering small college basketball. More information can be found at www.smallcollegehoops.com.