UNC Pembroke Picked to Repeat in Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

11/1/2022 10:00:00 AM

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The men’s basketball coaches have picked UNC Pembroke to repeat as champions in the 2022-23 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

UNC Pembroke captured the regular season title in its return to Conference Carolinas last year with a 22-2 league record. The Braves collected 143 points and 11-of-13 first-place votes to claim the top spot in the poll. Emmanuel was picked second with 130 points and the remaining first-place nods while Barton came in at No. 3 with 101 points. Francis Marion was picked fourth with 96 points followed by Lees-McRae (91) to round out the top five.

Belmont Abbey, the 2021-22 Conference Carolinas tournament champion, was picked sixth with 88 points and were followed by Mount Olive (84), Chowan (71), Converse (61), King (55), Southern Wesleyan (45), North Greenville (33) and Erskine (16).

The 2023 Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will get underway on Sunday, Feb. 26 and Monday, Feb. 27. The fifth and sixth seeds in men’s and women’s basketball will play host to two games over the two days. The 10th-seeded team will battle the seventh-seeded team on Feb. 26 at the home of the sixth seed for the right to face the sixth seed on Feb. 27, while the ninth-seeded team will take on the eighth-seeded team at the home of the fifth seed on Feb. 26 for the chance to take on the fifth seed on Feb. 27.

The 2023 Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships quarterfinals are set for Friday, March 3 at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The semifinals will be contested on Saturday, March 4, while the men’s and women’s basketball finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 5.

2022-23 Conference Carolinas
Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll

School	Total (First Place)
UNC Pembroke	143 (11)
Emmanuel	130 (2)
Barton	101
Francis Marion	96
Lees-McRae	91
Belmont Abbey	88
Mount Olive	84
Chowan	71
Converse	61
King	55
Southern Wesleyan	45
North Greenville	33
Erskine	16

2022-23 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball
Players to Watch

Barton

Marcus Boykin, So., Guard, Clinton, North Carolina (2021-22 All-Conference Carolinas Third Team)
Trevon Spencer, Sr., Forward, Columbia, North Carolina
Donaven Hairston, Jr., Guard, Atlanta, Georgia

Belmont Abbey

Mario Lacy Junior, Sr., Guard, Cleveland, Ohio (2021-22 All-Conference Carolinas Third Team, Current Conference Leader in Single-Season Field Goal Pct. - 78.0)
Charles Solomon, Sr., Forward, Monroeville, New Jersey
KJ Garrett, So., Guard, High Point, North Carolina

Chowan

Christian Koonce, So., Guard, Charlotte, North Carolina
Jay Estime, Gr., Guard, Atlanta, Georgia

Converse

Earl Burgess III, So., Forward, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Sigurd Lorange, Jr., Guard, Trondheim, Norway
Jordan Warlick, Sr., Guard, Irmo, South Carolina

Emmanuel

KJ Jones II, Jr., Guard, Atlanta, Georgia (2021-22 All-Conference Carolinas First Team, Conference Carolinas Elite 23 Award, D2CCA All-Region First Team, NABC All-District Second Team; 2020-21 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, All-Conference Carolinas First Team, Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team, NABC All-American; 2019-20 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team)
Jeremiah Francis, Jr., Guard, Columbia, Ohio
Chris Dees, So., Guard, Amarillo, Texas

Erskine

Tavis Bridges, So., F, Boonville, North Carolina
Jaylen Prioleau, Jr., G, Charlotte, North Carolina
Lanyc Shuler, So., G, Charleston, South Carolina

Francis Marion

Jonah Pierce, So., Center, Sanford, Florida (2021-22 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year)
Tionne Rollins, Sr., Guard, Tallahassee, Florida
Nick Silva, So., Forward, Sao Paulo, Brazil

King

Michael Mays, Sr., Guard, Bristol, Tennessee (2021-22 All-Conference Carolinas Third Team)
Jaylen Bernard, So., Guard/Forward, Coral Springs, Florida
Kenny Turner, So., Forward, Coral Springs, Florida

Lees-McRae

Drew Gardner, Sr., Forward, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (2021-22 All-Conference Carolinas Second Team)
Justin Nichelson, R-Sr., Guard/Forward, Boynton Beach, Florida
Jaylin Stewart, Jr., Guard, Petersburg, Virginia

Mount Olive

Michael Brown, Sr., Point Guard, Winchester, Virginia (2018-19 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year)
Cole Johnson, Sr., Guard, Knightdale, North Carolina
Kaeleb Carter, Sr., Forward, Woodbridge, Virginia

North Greenville

Draylan Burton, R-So., Guard, Piedmont, South Carolina
C.J. Jamison, R-Jr., Guard, Greer, South Carolina

Southern Wesleyan

Jamal Edmonson, Jr., Forward, Charleston, South Carolina
Marcus Long, So., Guard, Chattanooga, Tennessee

UNC Pembroke

Javonte Waverly, So., Guard, Henderson, North Carolina
Cortez Marion-Homes, R-Fr., Forward, Charlotte, North Carolina
Bradlee Haskell, So., Guard, Southern Pines, North Carolina