CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Calvin Lee, Towson, Sr., F, 6-8, 215 – Ettrick, Va./Matoaca

Lee poured in a career-high 25 points and blocked four shots to lead Towson to an 82-71 victory over Miami (Ohio) in the season opener last Friday. The senior forward hit 10-of-16 shots from the floor and also grabbed three rebounds. Lee, who played a career-best 37 minutes, shattered his previous career scoring high of 13 points.

CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Luke Hancock, George Mason Fr., F, 6-5, 189 – Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley

Hancock averaged 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals off the bench in a pair of George Mason victories last week. The freshman forward tallied 11 points and four boards in 23 minutes of a 76-72 win over Liberty and contributed 12 points and four caroms in a 60-44 triumph over Dartmouth. Hancock made 10-of-17 shots from the floor and hit 2-of-2 treys.

CONFERENCE NOTES:

Two CAA Teams In ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon: A pair of CAA teams will take part in ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon on Tuesday. Drexel visits Niagara for an 8 a.m. contest, followed by Northeastern at MAAC preseason favorite Siena at Noon. Both games will be televised nationally on ESPN as part of the network’s coverage of 12 games in 24 hours. Last season, Drexel edged Penn 66-64 in the College Hoops Marathon.

Challenging Early Season Schedules: CAA teams faced threeTop 25 opponents to start the season last week and will meet several more this week. On Thursday, George Mason takes on #5 Villanova in the first game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament. The Patriots will meet either #18 Dayton or #21 Georgia Tech in the second round. VCU hosts #17 Oklahoma on Saturday as former Rams’ coach Jeff Capel returns to Richmond. Hofstra could take on #12 Connecticut in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament on Tuesday.

Newcomers Make An Impact: Several newcomers had big games during the opening week of the season. UNCW’s John Fields, a transfer from East Carolina, had 21 points and seven rebounds in the Seahawks’ opener at Appalachian State, while freshman teammate Keith Rendleman tallied 11 points and 16 rebounds against George Washington. Drexel freshman Derrick Thomas scored 14 points at Saint Joseph’s, while Hofstra freshman Halil Kanacevic posted a double-double (12 pts/12 reb) at Kansas. Mason freshman Luke Hancock averaged 11.5 ppg in a pair of Patriots’ victories, while VCU’s Jay Gavin, a transfer from Marist, scored 12 points in 15 minutes in the Rams’ triumph over Bethune-Cookman.

Four CAA Players Named To Mid-Major All-America Team: Four CAA players were among 25 honored on the Preseason Mid-Major All-America team by CollegeInsider.com. Selected to the squad were Northeastern senior guard Matt Janning, Hofstra junior guard Charles Jenkins, Old Dominion senior center Gerald Lee and VCU junior center Larry Sanders.

Four CAA Teams In Mid-Major Top 25 Poll: Four CAA teams were ranked in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll released on Nov. 16 by CollegeInsider.com. Old Dominion topped the list of CAA squads at #6, followed by George Mason at #7 and VCU at #8. Northeastern was ranked  #15.

VCU, ODU Receive Votes In Associated Press Top 25: A pair of CAA teams received votes in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll. Defending CAA champion VCU picked up two votes, while preseason league favorite Old Dominion got one vote for the second week in a row.

ODU Picked To Win CAA Title: Old Dominion, which returns all five starters from last year’s 25-10 squad, has been picked to win the CAA men’s basketball title in 2009-10 in a vote of coaches, sports information directors and media. Northeastern was second in the poll, defending CAA champion VCU was third and George Mason was fourth. Selected fifth was James Madison followed by Hofstra, Drexel, Georgia State, Towson, William & Mary, Delaware and UNC Wilmington.

Hofstra’s Jenkins, ODU’s Lee Headline Preseason All-CAA Team: Hofstra junior guard Charles Jenkins and Old Dominion senior center Gerald Lee were chosen as the preseason CAA co-Players of the Year. Jenkins earned first-team All-CAA honors and received the Haggerty Award as the top player in Metropolitan New York last year after being one of six players in the nation to average at least 19 points (19.7 ppg), four rebounds (4.8 rpg) and four assists (4.3 apg) per game. Lee was a first-team All-CAA and CAA All-Tournament selection after ranking among the top 15 in the league in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounding (5.7 rpg), field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Jenkins and Lee were joined on the preseason All-CAA first team by Northeastern senior guard Matt Janning (14.3 ppg), George Mason junior guard Cam Long (11.7 ppg) and VCU junior center Larry Sanders (11.3 ppg/8.6 rpg). The entire preseason team is on page 5 of this release.

Plenty Of Experience Returning: There will be plenty of familiar faces around the CAA this season as the league returns 72% (43-of-60) of its starters from a year ago. Leading the group of returnees are nine players who were named to the All-CAA team in 2008-09. Old Dominion and UNC Wilmington return their entire starting lineups, while Drexel, James Madison, Northeastern, Towson, VCU and William & Mary have four regulars back.

Honors Roll In For VCU’s Sanders: VCU junior center Larry Sanders has been recognized as one of the nation’s top returning players by several groups and publications. Sanders was one of 50 players selected to preseason lists for the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award, which are given to the men’s basketball Player of the Year at season’s end. He was also named to the preseason Mid-Major All-America squads chosen by Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com and Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News. Sanders averaged 11.3 points per game and ranked second in the CAA in rebounding (8.6) a year ago. He also was ninth in the nation with 2.7 blocked shots per game. Sanders recorded 11 double-doubles, including an 18-point, 20-rebound, seven block effort in last year’s CAA title game.

DELAWARE (0-1 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Blue Hens suffered a 76-56 setback to Temple in their home opener last Saturday. Delaware, which dropped its fourth straight season opener, jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game before the Owls went on a 30-5 run to take command. Junior guard Jawan Carter paced the Blue Hens with 17 points and three assists. Junior backcourt mate Alphonso Dawson added nine points and junior guard D.J. Boney scored eight. Sophomore forward Hakim McCullar, who was playing his first game with the Blue Hens after transferring from Rhode Island, chipped in seven points and a team-best five rebounds. Delaware shot just 33.3% from the floor and was 6-of-20 from 3-point range. The victory was the 16th straight for Temple in the series. Delaware hosts Bucknell on Wednesday and is at Penn on Saturday.

DREXEL (0-1 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Dragons dropped a 77-67 decision in overtime at rival Saint Joseph’s on Friday. Junior guard Jamie Harris scored a team-high 20 points and dished out four assists. Harris netted 12 points in the second half, including a pair of free throws that put the Dragons up by two with nine seconds left in regulation. Senior forward Leon Spencer recorded a double-double with 16 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and three blocks. Freshman Derrick Thomas drained four treys and finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in his collegiate debut. The Hawks didn’t take the lead for good until 44 seconds remained in overtime and then scored the game’s final 13 points. Drexel out-rebounded SJU 45-34, but was hurt by 23 turnovers. The Dragons visit Niagara for an 8 a.m. game on Tuesday as part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon and then travels to Rutgers on Friday.

GEORGE MASON (2-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Patriots are off to a 2-0 start after home victories over Liberty (76-72) and Dartmouth (60-44). Mason set a school record at the Div. I level with 18 straight home wins, which is also the 8th-longest active streak in the nation. Sophomore Ryan Pearson averaged 15.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg for the week, including a double-double versus DC with a career-high 19 points and 10 boards. Sophomore Andre Cornelius drained 4-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with a team-high 17 points in the win over Liberty. Sophomore Mike Morrison had 12 points, seven boards and three blocks against LU and followed with a double-double (11pts/10 reb) versus DC. Freshman Luke Hancock posted back-to-back double-digit efforts off the bench with 11 points against LU and 12 against DC. He hit 10-of-17 from the floor. Mason faces #5 Villanova on Thursday in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament.

GEORGIA STATE (0-1 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Panthers dropped a 69-53 decision at N.C. State last Thursday in the first game of the Glenn Wilkes Classic. Georgia State tied the game on a Joe Dukes layup with 13:44 left and trailed just 41-39 with 11 minutes to go before the Wolfpack went on an 11-0 run. Senior forward Ousmann Krubally came off the bench and recorded the first double-double of his career with team-highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Xavier Hansbro contributed 13 points, a career-best nine rebounds and four assists. Dukes was held to seven points, but dished out a team-high six assists. The Panthers face Carver Bible College in their home opener on Tuesday and then head to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the final three games of the Wilkes Classic. Georgia State will play six of its first seven games away from home, including a stretch of five games in seven days.

HOFSTRA (0-1 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Pride was beaten 101-65 at Kansas last Friday in its first game ever against a #1 team. Junior guard Charles Jenkins scored 18 of his team-high 23 points in the second half and also made four steals. Jenkins is now 24th on the Pride’s career scoring list with 1,088 points. Freshman forward Halil Kanacevic came off the bench to contribute 12 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. He is the first Pride player to debut with a double-double since 2001. Freshman point guard Chaz Williams tallied seven points and a team-high six assists at KU and didn’t commit a turnover in 37 minutes. The Pride returns to action in the NIT Season Tip-Off. Hofstra meets Yale tonight in Storrs, Conn. and could face #12 Connecticut on Tuesday. The Pride hosts Farmingdale State on Friday.

JAMES MADISON (0-1 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Dukes were beaten 72-44 at #17 Ohio State last Thursday in the first game of the 2K Sports Classic. The Dukes trailed by just six in the final minute of the first half, but the Buckeyes dominated from there. Senior guard Pierre Curtis led JMU with nine points and eight rebounds. Curtis is 44 points shy of 1,000 for his career. Freshmen Trevon Flores and Darren White started their first collegiate contests and each contributed seven points. JMU suffered a big blow last week when starting point guard Devon Moore went down with a season-ending knee injury. Moore averaged 10.7 ppg last year and made the CAA All-Rookie team. The Dukes shot just 30.8% from the floor at OSU. JMU heads to Miami this week for the final three games of the 2K Sports Classic against Murray State, host FIU and N.C. Central.

UNC WILMINGTON (0-2 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Seahawks slipped to 0-2 following setbacks to Appalachian State (79-68) and George Washington (76-71). Junior center John Fields tallied a team-high 21 points, seven rebounds and four blocks at ASU, but was suspended for the GW game after being ejected for a flagrant foul in the opener. Freshman forward Keith Rendleman posted his first career double-double against the Colonials with 11 points and 16 rebounds. All-CAA guard Chad Tomko missed the ASU contest while recovering from a stress fracture in his left foot, but contributed 13 points and four assists in 25 minutes off the bench versus GW. Senior Montez Downey scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half against GW. The Seahawks shot just 58.6% (17-29) from the FT line and committed 20 turnovers against the Colonials. UNCW faces Penn State on Thursday to open the Charleston Classic.

NORTHEASTERN (0-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Huskies open their season on Tuesday at MAAC preseason favorite Siena as part of ESPN’s College Hoops Marathon. Northeastern returns four starters from last year’s 19-13 squad that reached the quartefinals of the CBI and posted their first postseason win since 1984. Senior guard Matt Janning was a first-team All-CAA pick after contributing 14.3 ppg and tallying double figures 26 times. Janning enters the season ranked 11th on NU’s all-time scoring list with 1,328 points. Joining him in the backcourt is junior guard Chaisson Allen, who scored 10.4 ppg and led the team in rebounds, assists and steals. He also made the CAA All-Defensive squad. Up front, senior forward Manny Adako (11.3 ppg/4.2 rpg) received third-team All-CAA accolades last year. Also back is senior center Nkem Ojougboh (7.4 ppg/4.6 rpg), who is a two-year starter in the post.

OLD DOMINION (1-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Monarchs rolled past Bethune-Cookman 69-38 in their home opener on Sunday. The 38 points is the second-lowest total for an opponent at the Constant Center. ODU ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense a year ago. Senior center Gerald Lee and sophomore guard Kent Bazemore led a balanced scoring effort with 10 points. Junior forward Ben Finney nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds. All 11 ODU players who saw action scored at least two points. The Monarchs out-rebounded Bethune-Cookman 39-22 and grabbed 14 offensive boards. ODU, which opens the season with four games in seven days, hosts Longwood on Tuesday, visits Liberty on Thursday and returns home to meet Marshall on Saturday.

TOWSON (1-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Tigers won their season opener for the fourth straight year, topping Miami (Ohio) 82-71 last Friday. Senior forward Calvin Lee broke loose for a career-high 25 points on 10-of-16 FG shooting and also blocked four shots. Lee’s previous career high was 13 points. Towson shot 52.6% from the floor and got a balanced offensive effort with six players netting eight or points. All nine Tigers who saw action played at least 14 minutes. Sophomore point guard Troy Franklin had nine points and seven assists off the bench, while junior Brian Morris had six points and a team-best eight assists. The victory was the 475th in the career of head coach Pat Kennedy. Towson trailed by nine early in the second half, but went on a 17-9 run and took the lead for good with 13:51 to play. The Tigers are off until Saturday when they entertain Buffalo.

VCU (1-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Rams topped Bethune-Cookman 77-51 in the head coaching debut of Shaka Smart last Friday. VCU closed the first half on a 24-4 run to take control of the contest. Junior guard Joey Rodriguez paced the Rams with 17 points and four steals. Backcourt mate Jay Gavin, a transfer from Marist, added 12 points in only 15 minutes in his VCU debut and junior center Larry Sanders tallied 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Sophomore forward Bradford Burgess rounded out the balanced scoring effort with 10 points. The Rams made 11-of-24 from 3-point range, including 7-of-11 in the first half. VCU’s pressing defense made 11 steals and forced Bethune-Cookman into 20 turnovers. The Rams hit the road to play Western Michigan on Wednesday before returning home on Saturday to meet 18th-ranked Oklahoma and former coach Jeff Capel.

WILLIAM & MARY (0-2 overall, 0-0 in CAA)

The Tribe fell short in its upset bid against #12 Connecticut (75-66) and then suffered a heartbreaking 87-85 triple-overtime loss at Harvard on a 28-footer at the buzzer. Sophomore forward Quinn McDowell averaged 21.5 ppg and shot 53.3% from the floor over the two games. He matched a career-high with 20 points at UConn and then topped it with 23 points at Harvard. Senior guard David Schneider averaged 16.0 ppg for the weekend and became the 31st player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark (1,011) for his career. Senior forward Danny Sumner tallied 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds over the two games. Senior Sean McCurdy dished out seven assists in each game. W&M drained 13 treys at UConn and made 11 threes at Harvard. W&M has played a triple-overtime game in each of the past two seasons after previously not having one since 1981.  The Tribe hosts Richmond on Thursday and visits Manhattan on Saturday.