Complete OAC Preseason Poll (.pdf)
BEREA, OHIO -- The 2012-2013 Baldwin Wallace College University men's basketball team was picked to finish second in a preseason poll of the Ohio Athletic Conference coaches.
The Yellow Jacket men's team returns four starters and 12 lettermen from last season's 16-10 overall team and will look for to battle for the OAC regular season title.
Fifth-year Head Coach Duane Sheldon returns four starters in All-OAC junior forward Kyle Payne (Brunswick) and junior guard Kevin Krakowiak (Valley City/Holy Name) as well as senior Academic All-OAC guard Ben Umbel (Poland/Seminary) and junior forward Tyler Ferrell (Brunswick). In addition, six other student-athletes, including Academic All-OAC sixth-man and senior forward Chris Ameen (Broadview Heights/Walsh Jesuit), return after playing in at least 16 contests.
In order to improve on last year's result and contend for an OAC title this winter, he will look for his returning veterans to be better and for his newcomers to make his team better and deeper.
Payne averaged a team-high 14.2 points-per-game and grabbed 5.3 rebounds-per-game. That effort followed an OAC Freshman-of-the-Year campaign a year earlier. Krakowiak averaged 14.0 ppg., grabbed 2.7 rpg. and canned 45 three-pointers. Umbel, who transferred in two years ago from NCAA Division I Youngstown State University, scored 7.5 ppg., grabbed 6.2 rpg. and led the team with 96 assists and 60 steals. Ferrell, who transferred inn last year from Division II Wheeling (W.Va.) Jesuit University, scored 6.9 ppg. and grabbed 4.5 rpg.
The question is who the other starter would be. It could be junior guard Grant Fairhurst (Ashland), sophomore guard Jaron Crowe (Mentor), junior center Aaron Selmek (Delaware/Columbus St. Francis DeSales), Ameen or senior forward Sean Rothermel (Delaware/Hayes). All five saw considerable action a year ago and all five have started at one juncture or another.
Fairhurst scored 7.1 ppg., made a team-high 44 three-pointers, including tying a school single-game record with eight, and had 30 assists and 28 steals. Crowe scored 6.3 ppg., had 26 treys and 65 assists despite missing seven games with an injury. Selmek scored 4.8 ppg., grabbed 3.2 rpg. and shot 58.4 percent from the floor (52-of-89). Ameen scored 7.0 ppg., grabbed 4.2 rpg. and made 20 triples. Rothermel scored 4.3 ppg. and grabbed 2.4 rpg. and made 67% of his field goals (42-of-63).
In addition to his base of 10, Sheldon returns lettermen in junior guard Skyler Simpson (Centerburg) and sophomore forward Matt Dennis (Spring Hills, Fla./Nature Coast Technical) as well as sophomores Reid Crossen (Jeromesville/ Hillsdale) and Josh Ingle (Shelby) and junior Blake Delaney (Ashland). Simpson played in 19 contests and scored 1.6 ppg. with 10 three-pointers. Dennis saw action in 11 contests.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2012-13 season on Saturday, November 17 when they host defending Presidents Athletic Conference champion Bethany (W.Va.) College in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium at 3:00 p.m. BW then hosts defending North Coast Athletic Conference champ The College of Wooster on Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.comand we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter athttp://twitter.com/bwathletics.
