Wednesday, November 1, 2000

PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE AND WINGATE UNIVERSITY MEN PICKED TO WIN THE 2000-2001 SAC BASKETBALL RACE

HICKORY, NC - The 2000-2001 Men’s preseason coaches poll was released today during the SAC Basketball Press Conference held at the Catawba Valley Community College Multipurpose Facility, home of the 2001 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Basketball Tournament March 2-3.

Picked to finish first in the 2000-2001 men’s race are Wingate University and Presbyterian College.

Presbyterian College, under coach Greg Nibert, return nine letterwinners and four starters from last year’s team, which finished third in the SAC. Leading the way is forward/center D.J. Humphries, who was named to the preseason All-SAC team and has been named preseason honorable mention All-America by the Division II Bulletin and its preseason SAC player of the year.The 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior from Union, S.C., was also a preseason honorable mention by Street & Smith’s College Basketball Magazine.

Head Coach
Greg Nibert

Humphries finished fifth in the South Atlantic Conference in rebounds while ranking in eighth in scoring, fifth in field goal percentage, and fifth in defensive rebounds (4.52). For his efforts, he was named to the second team All-SAC squad.

Wingate, the 1999-2000 SAC regular season co-champions received four first place votes, while Presbyterian received three first-place votes. Catawba, predicted to finish third, received the other first-place vote.

The Bulldogs, under first-year coach Parker Laketa, start the season ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division II. They return eight letterwinners, including All-SAC senior forward Jonathan Tyson. Tyson, a 6-foot-8 senior from Matthews, N.C., led the Bulldogs in scoring (11.7) and rebounding (5.5) last season.

Catawba finished sixth in the league last year, but is expected to be much improved this season. The Indians, under seventh-year coach Jim Baker, return 6-foot-6 forward Terrence Hamilton, who led the team in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (7.9) last season.

Carson-Newman is picked to finish fourth. The Eagles return three starters from last year’s team, which won four of its final six games. Dustin Edwards, a member of the All-SAC Freshman team, returns as the team’s leading scorer.

Newberry is picked fifth, while Lenoir-Rhyne, with senior guard Daniel Willis, an All-SAC first-team selection and the SAC’s second-leading scorer last year, is tabbed sixth. Tusculum is picked seventh, but the Pioneers have an infusion of junior-college talent. Mars Hill, which went 1-15 in the league last year, is picked to finish eighth.

SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
PRESEASON COACH'S POLL

Place	Team	Pts
1.	Wingate(4)	58
(tie)	Presbyterian (3)	58
3.	Catawba (1)	48
4.	Carson-Newman	39
5.	Newberry	31
6.	Lenoir-Rhyne	27
7.	Tusculum	16
8.	Mars Hill	11

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