Emmanuel Selected as Favorite in 2020-21 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Emmanuel has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2020-21 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll.
The conference office officially released the preseason poll on Dec. 8, 2020. The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Emmanuel received three first-place votes and a total of 74 votes to narrowly take the top spot. Defending Conference Carolinas Tournament champion Southern Wesleyan (2020) was right behind the 2019 Conference Carolinas Tournament champions in Emmanuel in the 2020-21 preseason poll with a total of 72 points. Southern Wesleyan received more first-place votes than Emmanuel with six, but Emmanuel did not receive less than a third-place vote. Southern Wesleyan received one fourth-place vote and a sixth-place vote.
The top three in the 2020-21 poll features the last three Conference Carolinas Tournament champions with 2018 champion Lees-McRae third with a total of 58 points. The Bobcats received one first-place vote.
An NCAA Division II Tournament selection in 2020 along with Southern Wesleyan, Belmont Abbey is fourth in the preseason poll with 53 points. Barton and Mount Olive are tied for fifth with 51 points. Defending Conference Carolinas regular season champion King (35) is seventh followed by North Greenville (28), Chowan (18) and Erskine (10).
The 2021 Conference Carolinas men’s and women basketball schedule features 16 games and it is unique in that it has been designed to allow member institutions the ability to play back-to-back games against the same league foe on certain weekends where applicable due to the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 Conference Carolinas men’s and women’s basketball schedule will officially begin on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The final date of regular season competition for Conference Carolinas men’s and women’s basketball will be on Thursday, Feb. 25.
The 2021 Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are scheduled to begin with first round play at higher seeds on Monday, March 1. The quarterfinals (Thursday, March 4), semifinals (Friday, March 5) and finals (Sunday, March 7) are scheduled to be held at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
2020-21 Conference Carolinas
Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| School |
First Place |
Total |
| Emmanuel |
3 |
74 |
| Southern Wesleyan |
6 |
72 |
| Lees-McRae |
1 |
58 |
| Belmont Abbey |
|
53 |
| Barton |
|
51 |
| Mount Olive |
|
51 |
| King |
|
35 |
| North Greenville |
|
28 |
| Chowan |
|
18 |
| Erskine |
|
10 |
2020-21 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball
Players to Watch
Barton
Isaiah Reddish, Sr., Forward, Durham, North Carolina (2018-19 and 2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas)
Blake Burdack, Sr., Forward, Melbourne, Australia
David Campbell, Sr., Guard, Severn, Maryland
Belmont Abbey
Sean Halloran, Jr., Guard, Orlando, Florida
LJ McCoy, R-Jr., Guard, Thomasville, North Carolina
Charles Solomon, Forward, So., Monroeville, New Jersey
Chowan
Jaylen Dilliard, Sr., Guard, Richmond, Virginia
Jamal Thomas, Sr., Guard, Lake Villa, Illinois
Emmanuel
KJ Jones, So., Guard, Atlanta, Georgia (2020 All-Tournament)
Brandon Simpson, Sr., Guard, Germantown, Maryland (2018-19 and 2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2019 All-Tournament)
Jayvion Rucker, So., Forward, Gainesville, Georgia
Erskine
Caleb Shackleford, Sr., Forward, Lexington, South Carolina
Uzziah Dawkins, So., Guard, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Travis Walters, Jr., Guard, Loris, South Carolina
King
Damion Ottman, Sr., Forward, Macon, Georgia
Josh Releford, Sr., Guard, Johnson City, Tennessee
Brandon Lamberth, Jr., Forward, McLeansville, North Carolina
Lees-McRae
Quay Kimble, Sr., Guard, Shelby, North Carolina (2018-19 and 2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2017-18 Freshman of the Year)
Anthony Hicks, Jr., Guard/Forward, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Mount Olive
Johnny Hughes III, Sr., Forward, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Darius Spragley, Jr., Guard, Rocky Mount, North Carolina (2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas)
Matthias Caver, Sr., Forward, Hampton, Virginia
North Greenville
Jalon Cokley, R-Sr., Guard, Columbia, South Carolina
Jacob Redding, Sr., Guard, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Joe Conley, Jr., Forward, Oviedo, Florida
Southern Wesleyan
Ta’Jay Dunlap, So., Guard, Columbia, South Carolina (2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2020 All-Tournament)
Solomon Smith, Sr., Forward, Greensboro, North Carolina (2020 All-Tournament)
Jalen Lowery, Sr., Guard, Charlotte, North Carolina
