November 13, 2008
Eagles Picked Fourth In NECC Preseason Poll, Open Season Sunday

Nashua – It’s a new day for Daniel Webster College men’s basketball.

With a new conference, a new look at the helm and a returning slew of varsity letter winners, optimism and intrigue abounds as the Eagles open their 2008-09 season at Vaughn College this coming Sunday, November 16th in Throggs Neck, N.Y. at 1:00 p.m.

Head Coach Dave Faucher inherits 12 letter winners including four starters from last year’s club that posted a 7-19 overall mark including a 5-13 mark in its final year of Great Northeast Athletic Conference play.

Despite a first round exit in last year’s GNAC quarterfinals, the Eagles have reasons for optimism and are expected to be in the mix for the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference title in late February. The NECC coaches pegged the Eagles fourth in the inaugural preseason poll released Thursday afternoon.

Not surprisingly, last year’s North Atlantic Conference title winner and NCAA participant Elms College was the preseason favorite with 72 points and all eight first place votes.

Becker College was second with 61 points, followed by Lesley University (55), Daniel Webster (43), Newbury College (39), Mitchell College (30), Southern Vermont College (30) and second year program Wheelock College (22).

When looking to top returnees for the Eagles three averaged double figures in scoring last season. Sophomore guard Chris Hanson (Salem, Mass.) leads the cast after earning GNAC Rookie of the Year honors thanks to a freshman campaign that included a team best 13.4 points, 86 three pointers, a 40-percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc and 4.6 rebounds.

Senior guard Brian Inge (Fort Washington, Md.), who will serve as co-captain, also returns after averaging 11.4 ppg and 4.1 boards, while junior guard Tim Jackson (West Henrietta, N.Y.) added 10.1 ppg and led the squad with 3.5 assists.

Inge’s fellow co-captain and former New Hampshire Player of the Year Steve Savage (Salem, N.H.) returns for his sophomore campaign after averaging 9.5 ppg.

Returnees to watch also include junior forward Adam Landry (Vernon, Conn.), who averaged 5.2 ppg but finished third in team three pointers, senior forward Joel Prince (Woodbridge, Va.), who notched 4.5 ppg, and sophomore point guard Chris Voukides (Salem, N.H.), who added 3.1 ppg and 2.8 assists off the bench.

Other returnees include sophomore forwards Loick Muyuka (Manchester, N.H.) and Andrew Somuah (Alexandria, Va.), and sophomore guards Omari Wright (Laurelton, N.Y.), Victor Rios (State Island, N.Y.), and Lawrence Green (Roosevelt, N.Y.).

Newcomers to watch include freshmen guards William Kemp Harris (Suitland, Md.), Kevin Perez (Nashua, N.H.), Nelson Bishop (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Jonathan Smalls (Deer Park, N.Y.).

The Eagles schedule is, if not eclectic, at least intriguing. The squad plays its second Ivy League school in as many seasons, visiting Harvard University December 28th and hosts longtime GNAC rival and recent league champion Emerson in early December.

The Eagles have potential tournament championship matchups with Keene State College and Wesleyan University, face non traditional foes such as Vaughn, Hampshire and Unity (Maine), and embark on the establishment of a whole slew of new arch rivalries with the likes of last year’s North Atlantic Conference and NCAA tournament qualifier Elms.

Some rivals will be relatively new with the likes of Becker, Lesley, Mitchell, and Wheelock, while Newbury is a semiannual rival, and Southern Vermont is an old longtime GNAC rival.

The goal however, remains the same - challenging for a conference championship.

The journey begins Sunday.