Frankie Policelli talks Recruiting; Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Dayton offers (UPDATED)
By SEAN BOCK Frankie Policelli, the 6-foot-8 small forward
By SEAN BOCK Frankie Policelli, the 6-foot-8 small forward
NEWARK -- To say Florida was desperate for
By AMAN KIDWAI
While many are quick to lob criticism at the NCAA for its efforts to maximize the profit of its college athletics media and licensing business, few dissenting opinions come from the coaching ranks.
College football legend Steve Spurrier has long been an advocate for the recently adopted player stipends and Kentucky’s John Calipari has offered a few reasonable suggestions for NCAA reform, but by and large the guys making millions off the enterprise tend to advocate for the system.
Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin has had a unique vantage point, however, as college athletics evolved from big business into a mega business. He inherited a successful program in 2006 which had recently joined the Big East, giving his team the chance to play against college basketball’s greatest regional powers while the school earned top-tier revenue and visibility.
In the closest preseason poll in American Athletic Conference history, Cincinnati was tabbed as the favorite to win the 2016-17 American Athletic Conference men’s basketball regular-season title, in voting of the conference’s head coaches.
Cincinnati senior guard Troy Caupain and Memphis sophomore Dedric Lawson were chosen as the American Athletic Conference Preseason Co-Players of the Year. For the fourth straight season, a UConn player was selected as The American’s Preseason Rookie of the Year, with Alterique Gilbert collecting honors this year.
The Bearcats edged UConn as the preseason favorite with 95 points to the Huskies’ 94 in the balloting of the coaches, who could not vote for their own teams. Cincinnati received six first-place votes, while UConn claimed the other five.
| 2016-17 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL |
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| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Pts. |
| 1. | Cincinnati (6) | 95 |
| 2. | UConn (5) | 94 |
| 3. | SMU | 76 |
| 4. | Houston | 75 |
| 5. | Memphis | 63 |
| 6. | Temple | 56 |
| 7. | East Carolina | 39 |
| 8. | UCF | 37 |
| 9. | Tulsa | 34 |
| 10. | USF | 25 |
| 11. | Tulane | 11 |
| 2016-17 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL HONORS |
||
| Preseason Co-Players of the Year | ||
| Troy Caupain, G, Sr., Cincinnati Dedric Lawson, G/F, So., Memphis |
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| Preseason Rookie of the Year | ||
| Alterique Gilbert, G, Fr., UConn | ||
| Preseason All-Conference Teams | ||
| First Team | ||
| Troy Caupain, G, Cincinnati* | ||
| Gary Clark, F, Cincinnati* | ||
| Dedric Lawson, G/F, Memphis | ||
| Ben Moore, F, SMU | ||
| Damyean Dotson, G, Houston | ||
| Second Team | ||
| Shake Milton, G, SMU | ||
| Jalen Adams, G, UConn | ||
| Jahmal McMurray, G, USF | ||
| Rob Gray, Jr., G, Houston | ||
| B.J. Tyson, G, East Carolina | ||
| * unanimous selection | ||
