University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men’s Basketball Tabbed Second in Preseason Poll; Two Bulldogs Named Preseason All-Conference
11.10.2020 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As a part of the Big South's Basketball Virtual Media Day, the UNC Asheville men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the annual Big South Preseason Poll, while DeVon Baker (First Team) and LJ Thorpe (Second Team) garnered Preseason All-Big South recognition.
The second place selection is the highest preseason pick for the Bulldogs since 2017-18 when they were picked to win the conference. Winthrop was tabbed the league favorite with 21 first-place votes and 261 points. Asheville (214 points) collected a pair of first-place votes, while Gardner-Webb (188 points) snagged the other first-place tally. Charleston Southern (192 points) placed third in the preseason rankings. The remainder of the poll went as follows: USC Upstate (149 points), Radford (127 points), High Point (117 points), Longwood (111 points), Hampton (92 points), Campbell (78 points), and Presbyterian (55 points).
"Being selected second is obviously different from where we've been selected the last two years, but our goal doesn't change pertaining to this team," said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell. "Our ability to be better today than we were yesterday and try to be better tomorrow than we were today will determine our year. We are very excited to get things started for the 2020-21 season."
Baker becomes the first Bulldog to earn two Preseason All-Big South First Team honors since the conference went to the First and Second Team format in 2012-13. At the conclusion of his sophomore season in 2019-20, Baker was an All-Big South Second Team pick while leading the team in scoring averaging 16.5 points per contest. He also became just the third sophomore and 34th player in program history to score 1,000-career points. Baker is just the sixth sophomore in the history of the Big South to reach that milestone.
Thorpe was a Big South Honorable Mention selection in 2019-20 after a breakout campaign. The West Palm Beach, Florida native did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs last season as he finished second on the team in scoring (13.9 PPG), topped the Bulldogs in rebounding (6.5 RPG), and finished eighth in the Big South in steals (1.4 SPG). No performance, however, proved Thorpe's versatility more than a 17-point, 13-rebound, and 10-assist outing at Hampton in early February. With that showing, Thorpe became just the second Bulldog to ever have a triple-double in a game joining Bulldog great Kenny George.
"DeVon and LJ are very deserving of these honors," Morrell said of Baker and Thorpe. "I know both of those guys are extremely excited about the upcoming season. LJ and DeVon have been instrumental in our growth as a program these last two years and I look forward to continuing to watch them grow."
UNC Asheville will tip-off the 2020-21 season by hosting the Mako Medical Asheville Classic at Kimmel Arena on Nov. 27-28. The Bulldogs will take on UNC Wilmington on Friday before competing against Western Carolina on Saturday. Tip-off for both games is set for 3:30 p.m.
For a complete listing of the preseason rankings as well as the Preseason All-Big South teams, click the appropriate links or visit bigsouthsports.com.
The second place selection is the highest preseason pick for the Bulldogs since 2017-18 when they were picked to win the conference. Winthrop was tabbed the league favorite with 21 first-place votes and 261 points. Asheville (214 points) collected a pair of first-place votes, while Gardner-Webb (188 points) snagged the other first-place tally. Charleston Southern (192 points) placed third in the preseason rankings. The remainder of the poll went as follows: USC Upstate (149 points), Radford (127 points), High Point (117 points), Longwood (111 points), Hampton (92 points), Campbell (78 points), and Presbyterian (55 points).
"Being selected second is obviously different from where we've been selected the last two years, but our goal doesn't change pertaining to this team," said UNC Asheville Head Coach Mike Morrell. "Our ability to be better today than we were yesterday and try to be better tomorrow than we were today will determine our year. We are very excited to get things started for the 2020-21 season."
Baker becomes the first Bulldog to earn two Preseason All-Big South First Team honors since the conference went to the First and Second Team format in 2012-13. At the conclusion of his sophomore season in 2019-20, Baker was an All-Big South Second Team pick while leading the team in scoring averaging 16.5 points per contest. He also became just the third sophomore and 34th player in program history to score 1,000-career points. Baker is just the sixth sophomore in the history of the Big South to reach that milestone.
Thorpe was a Big South Honorable Mention selection in 2019-20 after a breakout campaign. The West Palm Beach, Florida native did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs last season as he finished second on the team in scoring (13.9 PPG), topped the Bulldogs in rebounding (6.5 RPG), and finished eighth in the Big South in steals (1.4 SPG). No performance, however, proved Thorpe's versatility more than a 17-point, 13-rebound, and 10-assist outing at Hampton in early February. With that showing, Thorpe became just the second Bulldog to ever have a triple-double in a game joining Bulldog great Kenny George.
"DeVon and LJ are very deserving of these honors," Morrell said of Baker and Thorpe. "I know both of those guys are extremely excited about the upcoming season. LJ and DeVon have been instrumental in our growth as a program these last two years and I look forward to continuing to watch them grow."
UNC Asheville will tip-off the 2020-21 season by hosting the Mako Medical Asheville Classic at Kimmel Arena on Nov. 27-28. The Bulldogs will take on UNC Wilmington on Friday before competing against Western Carolina on Saturday. Tip-off for both games is set for 3:30 p.m.
For a complete listing of the preseason rankings as well as the Preseason All-Big South teams, click the appropriate links or visit bigsouthsports.com.
Players Mentioned
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