Colonial Athletic Association Preview

The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.   Blue Ribbon Forecast No. Team  '01-02 Conf. Rec. (Overall) 1. UNC Wilmington  13-3 (29-3)  2. George Mason  15-1 (26-4)  3. Drexel  7-9 (17-11)  4. Virginia Commonwealth  9-7 (22-10)  5. Hofstra  7-9 (15-16)  6. James Madison  9-7 (20-12)  7. Delaware  7-9 (15-16)  8. Old Dominion  9-7 (20-12)  9. Towson  7-9 (15-16)  10. William & Mary  9-7 (20-12)  All-Conference Team Did You Know? G: Brett Blizzard SR, UNC Wilmington G: Domonic Jones JR, Virginia Commonwealth G: Rick Apodaca SR, Hofstra F: Jesse Young SR, George Mason C: Robert Battle SR, Drexel Player of the Year Brett Blizzard SR, UNC Wilmington Newcomer of the Year Omar Alston FR, Hofstra Top Backcourts 1. Virginia Commonwealth 2. UNC Wilmington 3. Delaware Top Frontcourts 1. UNC Wilmington 2. Drexel 3. George Mason 2002-03 Conference Tournament March 7-10, Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA 2001-02 Champions NC Wilmington (Reg.r season) UNC Wilmington (conf. tournament) 2001-02 NCAA Tournament Postseason Record 1-2 (.333) NCAA UNC Wilmington (Second round) NIT George Mason Two of the CAA's best programs have new head coaches as former top assistant Brad Brownell takes over for Jerry Wainwright at UNC Wilmington and former assistant Jeff Capel III succeeds Mack McCarthy at Virginia Commonwealth. The 33-year-old Brownell has some big loafers to fill as Wainwright departed for the University of Richmond, where he hopes to take the Atlantic 10 Spiders to the same heights that he led UNC Wilmington to the last few seasons. UNC Wilmington won the CAA regular season and conference tournament titles last season and then made some noise in the 2002 NCAA Tournament (upsetting No.4-seeded USC in OT in the first round, 93-89, and then losing to eventual national runner-up Indiana, 76-67, in the second round). Before taking over at UNC Wilmington, Brownell's biggest claim to fame was his own high school days at Harrison (Ind.) High School--where he played alongside current Denver Nugget Calbert Cheaney. In his first-ever game as a college head coach, the Indiana native Brownell will match wits with his boyhood hero Bob Knight as the Seahawks open their 2002-03 season at Texas Tech on November 22. At 27 years old, new VCU coach Jeff Capel III becomes the youngest active Division I head men's basketball coach. Capel is a 1997 graduate of Duke, where he was a four-year starter for the Blue Devils. An All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, Capel finished his career with 1,601 points, 433 assists, and 220 three-point field goals. He helped guide the Blue Devils to the 1994 NCAA Championship game during his freshman season, and earned ACC All-Academic honors as a senior in 1997. Despite the defections of Wainwright and McCarthy, the CAA should remain strong in 2002-03. The reason? Nine of the 10 players from last year's first and second all-conference teams are back in the fold. In all, the CAA's top 12 scorers from a year ago return.

 

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