UB Men's Basketball Predicted To Grab Fourth Straight Conference Crown In Preseason Coaches' Poll
Purple Knights Receive 8 Of !1 First Place Votes
Central Islip, N.Y. – The men's basketball coaches of the East Coast Conference have listed Bridgeport, who will be vying for their fourth straight ECC Championship, atop the 2015-16 conference preseason poll. The coaches also selected St. Thomas Aquinas junior guard, Chaz Watler (Brooklyn, N.Y.), as the Preseason Player of the Year.
Bridgeport continued their recent run of excellence in 2014-15, winning the ECC Championship for the third straight year and fourth time in six seasons. The Purple Knights received eight of 11 first place votes to top the poll with 118 points. Bridgeport has lots of talent returning from last season's roster, including leading scorer, Devon Elliott (16.4 ppg), and double-digit scorers, Jesse Jones and Ernest Rouse.
St. Thomas Aquinas, who fell to Bridgeport in the ECC Final for the second straight season, finished at No. 2 in the poll with two first place votes and 109 points. The final first place vote went to LIU Post, who come in at No. 3 in the poll with 97 points.
Also of note is Daemen being ranked fourth. If the coaches' prediction is true, the Wildcats will make their first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship. Daemen would have made the conference tournament in each of the last two seasons but was ineligible as they transitioned from provisional to active members of NCAA Division II.
Watler has been a standout from day one for the Spartans, winning the conference's Rookie of the Year honor in 2013-14 and following with a First Team All-Conference performance a season ago. Last year, Watler led St. Thomas Aquinas and finished seventh in the ECC with a 15.1 points per game scoring average. In addition, he finished third in the league with 50 steals and ranked in the top-10 in field goals made (164), field goal percentage (50.8), three point field goal percentage (41.5), free throws made, (105), and free throw percentage (77.8).
2015-2016 ECC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Team | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| 1. Bridgeport (8) | 118 | 24-7 (17-3 ECC) |
| 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (2) | 109 | 21-11 (17-3 ECC) |
| 3. LIU Post (1) | 97 | 17-13 (11-9 ECC) |
| 4. Daemen | 86 | 21-10 (13-7 ECC) |
| 5. Molloy | 65 | 16-13 (11-9 ECC) |
| 6. Dowling | 57 | 13-16 (10-10 ECC) |
| 7. Queens | 51 | 6-21 (6-14 ECC) |
| 8. Mercy | 46 | 8-18 (3-17 ECC) |
| 9. NYIT | 37 | 14-15 (11-11 ECC) |
| 10. District of Columbia | 31 | 5-23 (5-15 ECC) |
| 11. Roberts Wesleyan | 29 | 10-16 (6-14 ECC) |
( ) - First Place Votes
Preseason Player of the Year – Chaz Watler, St. Thomas Aquinas (6-2, Jr., G, Brooklyn, N.Y.)