SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Canisius College junior Gaby Belardo was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Awards Show at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The Golden Griffin men’s basketball team was voted ninth in the preseason coaches’ poll.
Belardo is the team’s leading returning scorer, as the San Juan, Puerto Rico, native averaged 10.3 points per game during his first season with the Golden Griffins. The 6-foor-2 guard made 26 starts and totaled double figures in 10 of the team’s last 15 games. Belardo ranked sixth in the MAAC with a 3.9 assists per game average and led the team in minutes per game (30.6) and with 41 steals, which ranked eighth in the conference.
Canisius received 23 points to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll. Iona College received eight of the 10 first-place votes to receive 97 points while Fairfield received the other two first-place votes to earn 92 votes. Loyola (76) was third, followed by Rider (71), Saint Peter’s (52), Siena (44), Niagara (42) and Manhattan (33). Marist received 18 points to finish 10th.
“As a group, we are not at all comfortable with where we are picked,” Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. “The important thing to remember is that this is a preseason poll and we can do something about these predictions. I am certain that this will prove to be motivation for this new group as we start this new chapter at Canisius.”
Canisius begins the 2011-12 season on Sunday, Nov. 13, when the Golden Griffins play at James Madison. Game time in Harrisonburg, Va. is set for 2 p.m.
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