Bethune-Cookman Picked as MEAC Favorites,Three Earn Accolades

COURTESY: BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
JASMINE ALSTON

NORFOLK, Virginia --The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has announced its 2018 preseason men's basketball all-conference teams and predicted order of finish. For the first time in program history, Bethune-Cookman has been tabbed as the preseason favorite; in addition, senior forwards Shawntrez Davis and Soufiyane Diakite were named to the First Team, and senior guard/forward Isaiah Bailey to the Second Team.
 
All awards are voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Bethune-Cookman captured a share of the MEAC Championship last season under then first-year head coach Ryan Ridder. The Wildcats finished 12-4 in MEAC play and 18-14 overall. They return nine players and four starters from last year's squad. Back-to-back MEAC Tournament Champion North Carolina Central was picked second followed by Norfolk State.
 
Diakite was named BCU's second-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year last spring after he pulled in a conference-best 313 rebounds (28th nationally) and averaged 9.8 per-game. He led the MEAC with a 6.59 defensive rebounding average and a 3.19 offensive board average. In the regular season finale at FAMU (3/1) led BCU to a share of its second ever MEAC regular season title with 27 points on 13-13 shooting and became the only player in the 2018 season to go 13-13 from the floor in the NCAA. Diakite finished third in the MEAC with 11 double-doubles, and shot 57.3% from the floor to set a new BCU single-season record.
 
Davis was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Second Team and First Team NABC District 15 after finishing second in the MEAC with 1.22 blocks per-game. The Atlanta native was second on the team in offensive, defense, and total rebounding, as well as field goal percentage. His 8.7 rebounding average was third in the conference, and his 277 total boards placed him fourth in the MEAC. The forward was dependable as the only Wildcat to start all 32 games, and he averaged 27 minutes per-game. Davis led the team with a 37.7% success rate from three and was second in the MEAC with 13 double-doubles.


 
Bailey was named Third Team All-MEAC after leading team with 4.8 assists-per-game, which also ranked fifth in the MEAC. He posted BCU's first-ever triple-double against D1 competition, and third overall, when he went off for 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists vs. SSU (Feb. 24). Bailey broke the 20-point mark seven times in 2018, and reached double-figures in 22 consecutive outings until the season finale tournament loss to Morgan State. The senior also scored 10+ and in 28 of his 31 games played. His 172 made free throws was third in Wildcat single-season records, and  his 219 free throw attempts finished tied for third with C.J. Reed (2011).


 
Howard's sophomore R.J. Cole was chosen as the Player of the Year.
 
BCU opens its season on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at DePaul in a game televised on FS1.
 
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