Men's Basketball Tabbed Fourth in Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll

11/2/05 -- Long Island University has been chosen to finish fourth in the 2005-06 Northeast Conference men’s basketball race, according to a poll of league head coaches released today. The Blackbirds received one first place vote in the annual poll. Fairleigh Dickinson was picked to capture the conference crown, receiving nine first place tallies.

Guard James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) was a unanimous selection to the preseason all-conference team. The junior ranked fourth in the circuit in scoring last season (16.3 ppg), the highest average of any returning player in the NEC. Williams was also fourth in the league in free-throw percentage (.812), sixth in three-pointers (2.3/gm) and 12th in assists (3.4 apg). He was a second team honoree last season.

LIU had the league’s largest turnaround last winter, making a six-game improvement in conference play from the previous campaign. The Blackbirds (14-15 overall) finished in fourth and went on to win their first NEC Tournament game since 1998 before falling to eventual champion FDU. They were selected to finish 11th in last season’s coaches poll.

The Blackbirds return a strong contingent this season - including all five starters - under third-year coach Jim Ferry. Williams’ backcourt mate, Randy Jones (West Palm Beach, Fla.) returns to pilot the offense. Named to the NEC all-Rookie squad last year, Jones paced all league freshmen and ranked sixth overall with 3.8 assists a contest. He was second on the squad in points, averaging 9.4 points a game.

Aubin Scott, the lone senior, emerged as one of the premier rebounders in the league. The Hempstead, N.Y. native grabbed 6.0 boards a game, leading the team and ranked ninth in the league rankings. He is joined in the frontcourt by junior Esa Maki-Tulokas and sophomore Kellen Allen.

Maki-Tulokas contributed just under eight points and six rebounds a game last winter while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor. The Finland product also hit for 25 triples. Allen proved himself to be a worthy defender in his first season, drawing an amazing 47 charges. The Mansfield, Texas native also supplied 6.9 points.

The Blackbirds have a number of weapons off the bench, including a sharpshooter and two frontcourt threats. Junior Evan Meekins (Providence, R.I.) has hit for 89 three-pointers the past two seasons. Sophomore Paska Morkeliunas (Kaunas, Lithuania) proved himself down low in 2004-05, averaging 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14 minutes. Sophomore Eugene Kotorobai, who received a medical redshirt last season, returns after averaging 6.7 points and 4.7 boards his freshman year.

Junior guard Naim Benjamin, freshmen Donovin McLendon and Tyrone Mattison are three newcomers expected to complete the puzzle and help LIU challenge for its first NEC title since 1997-98.

The Blackbirds kick off the 2005-06 campaign on Nov. 22, hosting Columbia University. After spending 42 seasons competing in the Schwartz Athletic Center/Brooklyn Paramount Theatre, LIU this season begins play in a the brand-new state-of-the-art Athletic, Recreation and Wellness Center.

Only twice in the past 18 years have coaches correctly projected the league’s champion.