JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Both of Jacksonville’s Division I men’s basketball programs caught the eye of ASUN coaches this preseason. Jacksonville University was picked to finish second in the league, and the University of North Florida pulled one first-place vote.
Queens, the reigning champion, sits atop the coaches poll after collecting five first-place votes. The Dolphins drew two, and the Ospreys got the remaining one even though they were slotted seventh. Lipscomb was slotted third, Bellarmine fourth, FGCU fifth and Stetson sixth, with West Florida last, in a league that shrank from 12 teams to eight this season. Stetson forward Collin Kuhl, who put up 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game last winter, was voted preseason player of the year.
The high marks come after a quiet year for both local teams. JU tied for seventh at 7-11 in conference play last season, and UNF finished 11th at 5-13. Scoring punch is the likely reason for the optimism.
Two Dolphins landed on the preseason all-conference team: sophomore guard Hayden Wood, who led JU at 11.8 points a game, and junior guard Jamie Phillips Jr., a transfer who scored 16.0 a game as the leading scorer at Stetson. Wood and fellow returning starter Evan Sterck combined for 18.4 points per game. UNF returns Kent Jackson, who averaged 14.8 points but was left off the all-league team.
The Dolphins tip off their season Nov. 2 by hosting Trinity College of Jacksonville at 7 p.m., a change from the Paine College game first on the schedule. The Dolphins then head to Gainesville to face top-ranked Florida.
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