BOSTON— America East Player of the Year Taylor Coppenrath of Vermont and
junior guard Jose Juan Barea of Northeastern were unanimous selections to the
preseason all-conference team as voted by the coaches.
Coppenrath, Barea, Chaz Carr of Boston University and T.J. Sorrentine of Vermont,
each of whom earned first-team all-conference honors a season ago, were joined
on the preseason all-conference team by two-time second-team all-conference
choice Nick Billings of Binghamton.
The teams were selected regardless of position. Coaches were not permitted to
vote for their own players.
Coppenrath, the third back-to-back winner of the America East Player of the Year award, led the conference in scoring with 24.1 ppg in 2003-04, the highest season total in the America East since Eddie Benton averaged 24.5 ppg in 1995-96. The 6-9 forward scored a conference tournament record 43 points (14-of-19 shooting) in a 72-53 win over Maine in the championship game, his first game after missing seven-straight contests with a broken wrist.
Barea was second in America East in both scoring (20.7 ppg) and assists (5.8 apg) last year. The 6-0 guard eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in his 53rd collegiate game and enters his junior season with 1,015 points. Carr, a 6-0 guard, was a first-team all-conference choice last season after leading the balanced Terrier offense with 13.0 ppg.
The 5-11 Sorrentine, the 2002 America East Player of the Year, averaged 14.8 ppg with 142 assists (4.6 per game) last season after missing all of 2002-03 with broken bones in both wrists.
Billings averaged 12.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 3.5 bpg. The 7-0 center owns the Binghamton career record and is tied for second in America East history with 302 blocks. He needs 108 blocks to pass conference leader Kevin Roberson.