Laker men picked to finish in upper half of Peach Belt Conference once again
MORROW, GA – The Clayton State men's basketball is gearing up for the tip-off of the 2012-13 season and head coach Gordon Gibbons' Lakers were once again picked to finish tournament in the upper half of the always competitive Peach Belt Conference.
Clayton State, one of only five teams to advance to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament the last three years in a row, was picked sixth out of 14 teams in the poll of league coaches. Montevallo, last year's NCAA Division II national runner-up, is picked to win the league followed by Augusta State, UNC Pembroke, USC Aiken and Columbus State.
"This will be another competitive year in the Peach Belt," said Coach Gordon Gibbons "Our returning leaders are doing an excellent job as we have developed chemistry throughout this preseason."
Clayton State is coming off a solid 16-win season in 2012 and returns three starters off that team and all five starters from the club's summer international tour. Gibbons also has an impressive recruiting class that features six new players to the fold, including four, four-year transfers, one junior college transfer and a talented freshman from the high school ranks.
The Lakers will open their exhibition season on Wednesday at the Athletics & Fitness Center facing Baseline USA in a 7:30 p.m. contest. The team will start the regular season on Tuesday, November 13, when Clayton State plays host to Tennessee Temple at the Athletics and Fitness Center. The season tip-off game will feature a special ceremony and the naming of Mason Barfield Court.
The 2012-13 preseason coach's poll is below. Teams were given 13 points for a first-place vote, 12 for a second and so on. Coaches were not permitted to rank their own team.
|
Rank |
Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
10th |
11th |
12th |
13th |
Total |
|
1. |
Montevallo |
5 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
139 |
|
2. |
Augusta St. |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
137 |
|
3. |
UNC Pembroke |
0 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
129 |
|
4. |
USC Aiken |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
128 |
|
5. |
Columbus State |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
107 |
|
6. |
Clayton State |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
89 |
|
7. |
Georgia College |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
87 |
|
8. |
Lander |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
76 |
|
9. |
Georgia Southwestern |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
75 |
|
10. |
Francis Marion |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
57 |
|
11. |
North Georgia |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
52 |
|
12. |
Armstrong |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
41 |
|
13. |
Young Harris |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
37 |
|
14. |
Flagler |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
29 |
—CSU—
