- Posted in All University
- Category: AthleticsCampus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. - Two members of the Lincoln University men's basketball team earned placement on the 2021-22 All-CIAA Preseason team, while the Lions were picked to finish tied for fifth in the six-team Northern Division.
"I never pay attention to preseason rankings," said Lincoln University men's basketball coach Corey Lowery. "My motivation is to work to be the best team in the country. That is a daily grind that we focus on as a program. We will focus on every team that we play and put together the best game plan possible to win. My focus is on our finish and the daily work that we put in as a program to be elite."
Bowie State was picked to win the Northern Division, followed by Virginia State, Virginia Union, Elizabeth City State, Lincoln, and Shaw.
In the Southern Division, Fayetteville State was picked as the champion, followed by Winston-Salem State, Johnson C. Smith, Claflin, Livingstone, and Saint Augustine's.
Junior guard Bernard Lightsey was named as a backcourt honoree, while junior Zahrion Blue (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) earned front court recognition.
"Bernard Lightsey (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) and Zahrion Blue (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) have had an excellent preseason, and I believe they are primed to be two of the elite players not only in the league but in the country," said Lowery. "They have led all preseason by example. They understand the hard work it takes to win at an elite level and both have committed to the process. I am sure they are both appreciative of the preseason honor, but I know personally they have their sights on bigger team goals."
After missing the first part of the season, Lightsey was one of the most prolific scorers in the conference – finishing fourth in the CIAA with 18.7 points per game during conference action. He is the top returning scorer in the league.
In CIAA play, Lightsey led the conference in three-point shooting percentage – connecting on 43.5 percent (47-of-108) of his shots, while placing second in the conference with 3.6 three-pointers per game.
Blue was quite possibly the most overlooked player in the conference. After finishing 10th in the conference in scoring (15.1 ppg), sixth in rebounding (7.1 rpg), fifth in field goal percentage (44.1 percent), fourth in assists (3.6 apg), and fifth in assist to turnover ratio, he was still left off the All-CIAA postseason team.
Lincoln opens the season 3 p.m. November 12 in the CIAA/PSAC Challenge, hosted by Kutztown University.
