NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State center Kyle O'Quinn was selected as the 2011-12 MEAC men's basketball Preseason Player of the Year. Morgan State was selected to win the MEAC Regular Season Title, edging out last year's MEAC Tournament Champion Hampton.
O'Quinn has been earning praise and accolades his entire career at Norfolk State and in the MEAC. Last year's Defensive Player of the Year Award winner paced the league in both rebounding (11.1) and blocked shots (3.4), ranking in the top five nationally in both categories. O'Quinn also led his team in scoring averaging 16.4 points and racked up 19 double-doubles. He was also selected to the All-MEAC First Team and was a Mid-Major Defensive All-American.
Morgan State received eight (8) first place votes and a totaled 616 points to take hold of the conference's top spot going into the season. The Bears will look to rebound from last year's fourth place finish and reclaim the conference title for the fourth time in five years. Morgan State finished the year 10-6 in the MEAC and 17-14 overall. MSU's season ended with a 55-60 loss to Hampton in the MEAC Tournament Championship.
MSU recorded several non-conference victories last year including wins over Loyola Marymount University (81-79), Maryland Baltimore County (75-62), Western Illinois (72-53), Robert Morris (67-66), and VMI (67-62).
Hampton, who won last year's MEAC Tournament and a berth to the NCAA Tournament, were predicted to finish second with 604 total points. The Pirates finished last year with an 11-5 in the MEAC and 24-9 overall finish.
Coppin State was selected to finish third while Norfolk State was predicted to finish fourth. North Carolina Central was projected to finish fifth with Delaware State slated to follow at sixth place. North Carolina A&T (7th), Bethune Cookman (8th), Howard (9th), South Carolina State (10th), Savannah State (11th), Maryland Eastern Shore (12th), and Florida A&M (13th) round out the 2011-12 preseason poll for the men's basketball season.
Accompanying O'Quinn on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Kevin Thompson (Morgan State), Darrion Pellum (Hampton), Landon Clement (NC Central), and DeWayne Jackson (Morgan State).
The 2011-12 MEAC men's basketball season tips off on Friday, November 11 with ten MEAC teams in play.
The 2012 MEAC Basketball Tournament is slated for March 5-10 at the Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
2011-12 Men's Basketball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
As voted on by the Conference's Head Men's Basketball
Coaches and Sports Information Directors
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)
|
1. Morgan State (8)
|
616
|
|
2. Hampton (16)
|
604
|
|
3. Coppin State (1)
|
601
|
|
4. Norfolk State
|
426
|
|
5. N.C. Central (1)
|
389
|
|
6. Delaware State
|
378
|
|
7. N.C. A&T
|
306
|
|
8. Bethune-Cookman
|
254
|
|
9. Howard
|
228
|
|
10. S.C. State
|
218
|
|
11. Savannah State
|
176
|
|
12. Maryland Eastern Shore
|
168
|
|
13. Florida A&M
|
166
|
2011-12 Preseason All-MEAC Team
(As voted on by the Conference's Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors)
Preseason Player of the Year: Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State
First Team
|
Name
|
School
|
Pos
|
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Cl.
|
Hometown
|
|
Kevin Thompson
|
Morgan State
|
F
|
6-9
|
240
|
Sr.
|
Baltimore, MD
|
|
Darrion Pellum
|
Hampton
|
G
|
6-5
|
215
|
Sr.
|
Hampton, VA
|
|
Kyle O'Quinn*
|
Norfolk State
|
C
|
6-10
|
240
|
Sr.
|
Jamaica, NY
|
|
Landon Clement
|
North Carolina Central
|
G
|
6-2
|
200
|
Sr.
|
Raleigh, NC
|
|
DeWayne Jackson
|
Morgan State
|
G/F
|
6-8
|
210
|
Jr.
|
Bowie, MD
|
Second Team
|
Name
|
School
|
Pos
|
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Cl.
|
Hometown
|
|
Michael Harper
|
Coppin State
|
G
|
6-4
|
180
|
Sr.
|
Milwaukee, WI
|
|
Hillary Haley
|
Maryland E. Shore
|
G/F
|
6-6
|
210
|
Sr.
|
Oxon Hill, MD
|
|
Amin Stevens
|
Florida A&M
|
G/F
|
6-6
|
220
|
So.
|
Roswell, GA
|
|
Casey Walker
|
Delaware State
|
G
|
6-4
|
185
|
So.
|
Brodnax, VA
|
|
Jay Threatt
|
Delaware State
|
G
|
5-11
|
175
|
Sr.
|
Richmond, VA
|