SSU Men's Basketball Picked To Win MEAC; Hassan Named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- Savannah State University senior Rashad Hassan was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year. The SSU men's basketball team were also picked to win the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season title. The Tigers, who won last season's regular season championship, return everyone from last year’s squad.

The Tigers received 24 first place votes and totaled 616 points to take hold of the conference's top spot. SSU finished among the top five in the MEAC in several categories including scoring margin (2^nd), scoring defense (1^st), rebounding margin (1^st), assists (3^rd), steals (5^th), and assist-to-turnover ratio (5^th) a year ago. The Tigers finished the season with a 14-2 mark in MEAC play and 21-12 overall. SSU's season concluded with a 65-51 loss to the University of Tennessee in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

Hassan, a 6-7 Riverdale, Georgia native, led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points per game and started in 32 of 33 games a year ago. He ranked in the top 20 in the nation with a 57.0 field goal percentage. The 2011-12 season was highlighted by three double-double performances including 20 points and 14 rebounds against Tennessee in the NIT.

Senior guard Deric Rudolph was named to the MEAC preseason second team. Rudolph averaged 10 points per game last season.

Accompanying Hassan on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Tahj Tate (Delaware State), Pendarvis Williams (Norfolk State), DeWayne Jackson (Morgan State), and Ray Willis (North Carolina Central).

The 2012-13 MEAC men's basketball season tips off on Friday, November 9 with ten MEAC teams in play.

The 2013 MEAC Basketball Tournament is slated for March 11-16 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.

2012-13 Men's Basketball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish and All-MEAC First and Second Teams

As voted on by the Conference's Head Men's Basketball Coaches and

Sports Information Directors

(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)

School...................................... Points

1. Savannah State (24)....................... 616

2. Delaware State (1).......................... 525

3. Morgan State.................................. 504

4. Norfolk State (1)............................ 489

5. Hampton........................................ 396

6. Bethune-Cookman......................... 392

7. North Carolina Central.................. 386

8. Howard.......................................... 254

9. North Carolina A&T...................... 228

10. Coppin State................................ 220

11. Florida A&M............................... 184

12. Maryland Eastern Shore............... 110

13. South Carolina State.................... 62

Preseason Player of the Year: Rashad Hassan, Savannah State University

First Team

Name	School	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown
Tahj Tate	Delaware State	G	6-4	190	So.	Easley, S.C
Dewayne Jackson	Morgan State	F	6-8	210	Sr.	Bowie, Md.
Pendarvis Williams	Norfolk State	G	6-6	195	Jr.	Philadelphia, Pa.
Ray Willis	N. C. Central	G	6-6	164	Sr.	Atlanta, Ga.
Rashad Hassan	Savannah State	F	6-7	215	Sr.	Riverdale, Ga.

 

Second Team

 

Name	School	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Hometown
Kevin Dukes	Bethune-Cookman	G	5-9	155	Sr.	Lithonia, Ga.
Marques Oliver	Delaware State	F	6-7	220	Sr.	Durham, N.C.
Casey Walker	Delaware State	G	6-5	175	Jr.	Brodnax, Va.
Ian Chiles	Morgan State	C	7-2	270	r-Jr.	Cliffside Park, N.J.
Deric Rudolph	Savannah State	G	5-11	175	Sr.	Gadsen, Ala.

All awards are voted on by the conference's head men's basketball coaches and sports information directors.

 COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION AND MEACSPORTS.COM