Men’s Basketball Team Picked to Succeed In 2009-2010 Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2009
 
MEDIA CONTACT
Jo Kadlecek
Office of College Communications
979.867.4752
[email protected]
 
WENHAM, MA—For the Gordon College men’s basketball team it’s the start of a new season, with a new coach and a new prediction to fulfill: the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) recently selected Gordon as the favorite to win the 2009–2010 men’s basketball championship.
 
Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league’s head coaches. Gordon received five of the 14 first-place votes in the 2009–2010 TCCC preseason poll. Teams received 14 points for every first place vote, 13 points for second place votes, 12 points for third place votes, down to one point for a last place vote.
 
Gordon led with 172 points just ahead of Colby-Sawyer who ranked second with 169 points.
 
New head coach of the Gordon men’s basketball team and former NBA player, Tod Murphy, said the CCC recognition is an “exciting and humbling” way to begin the season, which opens November 18th against Husson University at the Gordon College Bennett Center at 7 p.m.
 
“I am excited about the possibilities that exist for this group of players,” Murphy said. “We have a strong team with great leadership coming from our senior players. I think we have a chance to do something pretty special this year.” 

The team returns with many of the familiar faces that led them to a 20–7 season standing in the 2008–2009 season including the leadership of six seniors: Aaron Trigg (Overland Park, KS) with an 18.2 ppg average; Brady Bajema (Whitinsville, MA) leading in assists and free throw percentages (89%); Ben Gaskill (Columbus, OH) leading in field goal percentages (.610) and rebounds (7.7pg); Jeff Derr (Barrington, IL) with a 40 percent three-point field goal percentage; and Tim MacDonnell (Jericho VT) leading the team in charges drawn.
 
Along with the seniors is a solid group of underclassman as well as the strongest crop of incoming freshmen and transfers in recent memory, according to athletic director Jon Tymann. “This entire team will represent Gordon well during the 2009-2010 NCAA Division III season,” Tymann said.
 
According to the CCC men’s basketball poll, teams posing the biggest threat are: Colby-Sawyer who also received five first place votes, University of New England—the defending champions, and Wentworth Institute of Technology who also picked up a first place vote and were tabbed to finish fourth. Next was Roger Williams University, projected to finish fifth.
 
The men open their season November 18th at 7 p.m. against Husson University at the Gordon Bennett Center (exit 17 from Highway 128), followed by the Tip-Off Classic annual tournament November 20–21, hosted by Gordon’s men and women’s basketball teams.
 
For more information, visit Gordon's Athletics site. 

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