BOSTON – The Vermont men's basketball team has been selected as the unanimous preseason favorite in the 2019-20 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll and senior
Anthony Lamb has been named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. The league made the announcement on Thursday.
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Voting was conducted by the conference's head men's basketball coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The defending conference champions were picked as the preseason frontrunner for the fourth consecutive season and sixth time in
John Becker's tenure. UVM earned eight first-place votes and 64 points overall, edging last year's runner-up UMBC in second place with 53 points. Stony Brook squeaked by UAlbany at No. 3 with 48 points while the Great Danes followed at No. 4 with 47 points. UMass Lowell rounded out the top five with 38 points.
Lamb is joined by fellow conference classmates Andrew Fleming (Maine), K.J. Jackson (UMBC), and Christian Lutete (UMass Lowell) on the Preseason All-Conference Team. The group also consists of sophomores Cameron Healy (UAlbany) and Sam Sessoms (Binghamton).
The 6-6 senior is the reigning America East Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring average (21.2), rebounding average, (7.8), and field goals (242). The 6-6 forward was also named to the America East All-Conference First Team and America East All-Championship Team. He was nationally recognized on Wednesday as one of only two mid-major players to land on the Julius Erving Award Watch List – awarded to the top small forward in college basketball.
In the career record book, the Rochester, New York native ranks seventh in points per game (16.3), blocks (119) and 13th in points (1,383).
Last season, the Green and Gold posted a 27-win campaign to match the second-highest single-season win total in school history and captured the program's seventh America East Championship. Vermont won its ninth America East regular season title with a 14-2 mark against conference opponents. Becker collected his fourth America East Coach of the Year honor and selected as the NABC All-District I Coach of the Year and USBWA District I Coach of the Year..
The Catamounts kick off the 2019-20 season against Brown on Saturday (Oct. 26) at 7 p.m. Vermont will be retiring the jerseys of Taylor Coppenrath '05 and T.J. Sorrentine '05 from the legendary 2004-05 team that upset fourth-seeded Syracuse for the program's first win in an NCAA Tournament. Tickets are available for purchase for the historic night by
clicking here.
2019-20 America East Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
No., School, Points (1st Place Votes)
1. Vermont, 64 (8) - unanimous
2. UMBC, 53 (1)
3. Stony Brook, 48
4. UAlbany, 47
5. UMass Lowell, 38
T6. Binghamton, 23
T6. Hartford, 23
8. Maine, 15
9. New Hampshire, 13
2019-20 America East Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Andrew Fleming, Sr., Forward – Maine
Cameron Healy, So., Guard – UAlbany
K.J. Jackson, Sr., Guard – UMBC
Anthony Lamb, Sr., Forward – Vermont
Christian Lutete, Sr., Guard – UMass Lowell
Sam Sessoms, So., Guard - Binghamton
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 Vermont men's basketball season
