7 Returning Men's #AEHoops Standouts Highlight 2017-18 Preseason All-Conference Squad
BOSTON – Coming off of one the best men’s basketball seasons in America East history, seven returning All-Conference selections from five different America East programs make up the 2017-18 Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team, the conference office announced Wednesday morning. The team was determined by a vote of the league's nine head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes.
Four first-team all-league choices from 2016-17 are back, including Vermont’s Trae Bell-Haynes, the reigning America East Player of the Year. Albany’s David Nichols, New Hampshire's Tanner Leissner and UMass Lowell’s Jahad Thomas are the three other returning first-teamers to earn preseason recognition. Rounding out the seven-team squad are Vermont’s Anthony Lamb, the 2016-17 America East Rookie of the Year, Albany’s Joe Cremo and UMBC’s Jairus Lyles, all second-team choices a year ago.
Read more about the seven selections:
2017-18 America East Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Trae Bell-Haynes, Sr., Vermont
- Repeat preseason All-Conference choice.
- Led the Catamounts to one of their best seasons in program history a year ago and earned America East Player of the Year and first team All-Conference honors as well as honorable mention All-America recognition.
- Ranked in league's top 17 in scoring, assists, steals, free throw percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio last year.
Joe Cremo, Jr., Albany
- Cremo is a preseason all-leaguer for the second-straight season.
- A second-team All-Conference choice last year, Cremo ranked ninth among league leaders in scoring, contributing 15.8 points per game while also adding 5.3 rebounds per contest.
- Played the most minutes of any America East player last year and led Albany to 21 wins and its sixth-straight postseason berth.
Anthony Lamb, So., Vermont
- The lone sophomore on the preseason All-Conference squad, Lamb is the league’s reigning Rookie of the Year.
- Also a second-team All-Conference choice a year ago, Lamb averaged 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds, good for 15th and ninth in the league, respectively.
- He also shot 51 percent from the field and was second in the conference in blocked shots at 1.2 per game in leading Vermont to a program-record 29 wins and an America East title.
Tanner Leissner, Sr., New Hampshire
- Leissner is a preseason All-Conference choice of the third-straight year.
- The senior forward is America East’s active scoring leader with 1,381 career points heading into the season.
- Ranked third in America East in scoring (17.1 ppg) and third in rebounding (6.8 rpg) last season in leading UNH to a program-record tying 20 wins.
Jairus Lyles, Sr., UMBC
- Lyles is the conference’s top returning scorer after ranking second overall by averaging 18.9 points per game last season.
- Earned second-team All-Conference honors last season and is a repeat preseason All-Conference choice.
- Led UMBC to a 14-win improvement from 2015-16 season and 21 wins overall, capped by reaching the semifinals of the CIT.
David Nichols, Jr., Albany
- Nichols came out of nowhere a year ago to earn first-team All-Conference honors.
- The lone sophomore on last year’s All-Conference first team, Nichols ranked fourth among league leaders with 17.9 points per game, raising his average by over 15 points from his freshman season.
- The junior guard helped Albany reach the conference championship game for the fourth time in five years last season.
Jahad Thomas, Sr., UMass Lowell
- Became UMass Lowell’s first-ever first-team All-Conference selection last year.
- The senior forward ranked third in the conference in scoring (18.3 ppg) and was second in rebounding (9.0 rpg).
- Let the league shooting 59 percent from the field.
The 2017-18 America East men's basketball preseason poll will be announced on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 11 a.m.
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