DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2023) - The Mercy University men's basketball team has been picked to finish ninth in the East Coast Conference (ECC) Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference office earlier today. The top six teams at the end of the season qualify for the ECC Championship. 

St. Thomas Aquinas received six first-place votes and 78 points overall to top the poll and Daemen received three first-place votes for 75 points to rank second in the poll. Daemen's Joey Atkins was named Preseason Player of the Year. 

Mercy went 6-20 last season and 3-13 in ECC play last season, just missing out on qualifying for the ECC Championship. The Mavericks are looking to make the ECC Championship for the first time since 2021 and make it for the first time without every team making it since 2016. 

Head Coach Chris Watts and the Mavericks return eight student-athletes from last year's team and bring in a strong eight member recruiting class. Leading the returners is senior Jayden Dewaal who was named Third Team All-ECC last season after averaging 12.3 points and an ECC-best 10.7 rebounds per game. Also, returning is graduate student Garrett Kirkland who averaged 8.1 points per game last season. 

Watts and the Mavericks open their 2023-24 season on Friday, November 10th when they play at Caldwell at 7 p.m.