Summit League Pre-Season Men's Basketball Poll Announced

	Senior forward DeWitt Scott leads IPFW into Summit League play for the first time in 2007-08.

Oct. 17, 2007

2007-08 Summit League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
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Elmhurst, IL - IPFW has been picked to finish in seventh place in the Summit League this season, according to a poll of league head coaches, sports information directors, and selected media members.

The poll, released by the Summit League Office this afternoon, projects IUPUI to win the 2007-08 conference championship.

In addition, the Jaguars' George Hill has been selected as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year after earning first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore in 2005-06. Hill battle through injuries most of the 2006-07 campaign.

IUPUI received 12 first-place votes on its way to tallying 396 points in the poll. The Jaguars return three preseason all-conference players - first teamers Hill and Austin Montgomery and second-team selection Gary Patterson.

Defending champion Oral Roberts was not far behind IUPUI, garnering 10 first-place votes en route to 393 points. Oakland finished third in the poll with 359 points, including four first-place nods, while league new member North Dakota State received four first-place votes and registered 351 points. Southern Utah earned 217 points, good for fifth place, edging UMKC, which recorded 205 points. IPFW (162), Western Illinois (137), Centenary (129) and South Dakota State (101) rounded out the polling.

Hill, a 6-2 guard, missed all but five games last season due to a foot injury, but was a first-team all-conference pick as a sophomore in 2005-06. That season, he helped the Jaguars to the regular season co-championship while averaging 18.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Last season, Hill was a preseason first-team all-conference pick before suffering a foot injury. In five games, he averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor. He has been selected as a third team Preseason Mid-Major All-American by Collegehoops.net.

Joining Hill on The Summit League Preseason All-Conference first team are teammate Montgomery, Centenary's Tyrone Hamilton, North Dakota State's Ben Woodside, Oakland's Erik Kangas and Western Illinois' David Jackson. All six members of the first team are guards. The preseason second team includes IUPUI's Patterson, North Dakota State's Brett Winkelman, Oakland's Derick Nelson, and Oral Roberts' Shawn King and Marchello Vealy.

Eight teams (Centenary, IPFW, IUPUI, UMKC, Oakland, Oral Roberts, Southern Utah and Western Illinois) will compete in the 2008 Summit League Men's Basketball Championship, which will be held March 8-11 at the John Q. Hammons Arena at the UMAC in Tulsa, Okla. Newcomers North Dakota State and South Dakota State are in their final year of reclassifying to Division I status and per NCAA rules and regulations are ineligible for postseason play. The Summit League Men's and Women's Basketball Media Teleconference is slated for 10 a.m. (CST) Wednesday, Oct. 31.

2007-08 Summit League Preseason Men's Basketball Poll

1. IUPUI (12) 396

2. Oral Roberts (10) 393

3. Oakland (4) 359

4. North Dakota State (4) 351

5. Southern Utah 217

6. UMKC 205

7. IPFW 162

8. Western Illinois 137

9. Centenary 129

10. South Dakota State 101

(first-place votes in parenthesis)

2007-08 Summit League Preseason Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams

FIRST TEAM

Name, School

Pos.

Yr.

Hometown

PPG

RPG

APG

Other

George Hill, IUPUI

G

Jr.

Indianapolis, Ind.

14.6

5.4

2.0

Played in five games before being sidelined with foot injury

Tyrone Hamilton, Centenary

G

Jr.

Shreveport, La.

15.8

3.0

3.3

Second-team all-conference pick; fourth in league in scoring

David Jackson, Western Illinois

G

Sr.

Memphia, Tenn.

12.7

4.7

2.2

All-conference honorable mention; led team in ppg and rpg

Erik Kangas, Oakland

G

Jr.

DeWitt, Mich.

12.9

2.4

1.4

Second-team all-conference pick; led league in 3FGM (109)

Austin Montgomery, IUPUI

G

Jr.

Indianapolis, Ind.

13.7

5.0

2.0

Newcomer of the Year; third in league in FT% (.864)

Ben Woodside, North Dakota State

G

Jr.

Albert Lea, Minn.

16.4

2.9

5.1

Led team in assists (144), ranked second in scoring

SECOND TEAM

Name, School

Pos.

Yr.

Hometown

PPG

RPG

APG

Other

Shawn King, Oral Roberts

C

Sr.

Bequia, St. Vincent

7.1

5.6

0.7

Named to All-Newcomer Team; led league in blocks (81)

Derick Nelson, Oakland

F

Jr.

Lansing, Mich.

10.1

7.2

1.8

All-conf. honorable mention; league's top returning rebounder

Gary Patterson, IUPUI

G

Jr.

East Chicago, Ind.

11.4

2.4

2.4

All-Newcomer Team; in conf. games, led league in 3FG% (.520)

Marchello Vealy, Oral Roberts

F

Jr.

Oklahoma City, Okla.

7.7

5.9

0.8

Fourth in league in rebounds per game

Brett Winkelman, North Dakota State

F

Jr.

Morris, Minn.

16.1

6.8

2.2

Ranked second on team in rebounding and third in scoring