Courtesy of LoyolaGreyhounds.com.
EDISON, N.J. – Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball was picked to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference by the league’s coaches, and senior forward Erik Etherly was named the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, the league announced tonight in its first-ever Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3.
Etherly, who was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team just over a week ago was picked to be the top player in the conference over four other players on the first team: Siena College’s O.D. Anoskie, Manhattan College’s George Beamon, Iona College’s Lamont Jones and Fairfield University’s Derek Needham.
Last season, he earned All-MAAC First Team honors after leading the Greyhounds in scoring (13.7 points per game), rebounding (7.5 rpg) and blocked shots (50) last season.
He was named the MAAC Championships Most Valuable Player as the Greyhounds won the title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years. He also was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District II Second Team, becoming just the second player in school history to earn district honors from the coaches.
As a team, the Greyhounds finished the 2011-2012 season with a school Division I record 24 wins against just nine losses. They went 13-5 in MAAC action, also the best league record in school history, and finished second in the league before winning the MAAC Championships in Springfield, Mass.
Loyola advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years and just the second time in school history.
The Greyhounds garnered seven first-place votes and 97points in the preseason poll to edge Manhattan for the top spot. The Jaspers had two first-place votes and 89 points and were followed by Iona with one first-place vote and 70 points. Fairfield checked in at fourth (60 points),while Niagara is fifth (58).
Siena (55), Rider (39), Marist (37), Canisius (27) and Saint Peter’s (18) rounded out the voting.
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