SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Coming off last year’s Southern Conference North Division championship and 21-win season, the Elon University men’s basketball team was tabbed as the Southern Conference preseason favorites by both the league’s head coaches and SoCon Media, the conference office announced today, Oct. 17.
The Phoenix returns 12 letterwinners and five starters from a squad that went 21-12 last season, won the league’s North Division and earned a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Elon earned seven first-place votes and finished the balloting with 96 points in the coaches’ poll. In the SoCon Media poll, Elon earned 14 first-place votes and finished the balloting with 270 points.
In addition, seniors Lucas Troutman, Jack Isenbarger and Ryley Beaumont were named to the league’s preseason all-conference team by the head coaches. Elon had the most preseason all-conference selections of any school.
A first-team All-Southern Conference selection last season, Troutman ranked fifth in the SoCon in scoring at 15.1 points per game and second in field-goal percentage with a 54.6 percent clip. Troutman tallied a league and Elon single-season best 64 blocks last year, setting the school record for blocked shots in a career on Feb. 16. The Belton, S.C., native was named the SoCon Player of the Week twice on Nov. 27 and Feb. 5. Troutman scored his 1,000th career point on Feb. 2 in a home victory over Samford, tying a career-high with 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Troutman was named the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Regional Games Most Outstanding Player on Nov. 18 after leading Elon to the tournament’s title. During the two-day tournament, Troutman averaged 16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game. Troutman scored in double figures 27 times last season, including a streak of 22-straight games from Nov. 13 to Feb. 7. Troutman was named a Lou Henson Preseason All-American this season by CollegeInsider.com.
A third-team All-SoCon honoree last season, Isenbarger finished the year second in the conference in three-pointers made with 82 and in free-throw percentage at 86.5 percent. Isenbarger finished the season 16th in the league in scoring at 13.2 points per game and 10th in the conference in minutes played at 31.8 per game. The Zionsville, Ind., native scored in double figures 23 times last season, including a season-high 25 at VMI on Nov. 24. Isenbarger scored his 1,000th career point on Jan. 24 against Chattanooga, pouring in a game-high 23 points. Isenbarger was an All-District selection last season as well.
Beaumont was the only Phoenix player to start all 33 games last year, finishing the season averaging 11.8 points and a team-best 7.1 rebounds. The Millersville, Md., native was tabbed the SoCon Player of the Week on Feb. 19 after averaging 20.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in victories over Appalachian State and Western Carolina. Beaumont scored in double figures 20 times last season and recorded three double-doubles. He scored the game-winning basket at Samford in the final moments on Feb. 21 that clinched the league’s North Division title for the Phoenix.
See the Elon men’s basketball team in action tomorrow night, Oct. 18, at Late Night With the Phoenix inside Alumni Gym. The event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., with doors set to open at 7:45 p.m. Opening Night is slated for Friday, Nov. 8, when the Phoenix hosts Washington & Lee and 7:30 p.m. The team’s lone exhibition game is on Monday, Nov. 4, when it hosts Lynchburg at 7 p.m.
Southern Conference Coaches’ Poll
Predicted Order of Finish Team (1st-Place Votes) Total 1. Elon (7) 96 2. Davidson (3) 90 3. Western Carolina (1) 82 4. Appalachian State 67 Samford 67 6. Wofford 57 7. Chattanooga 50 8. UNCG 32 9. Georgia Southern 30 10. Furman 20 11. The Citadel 14
2013-14 Preseason All-Conference Team
Jay Canty, Appalachian State
De’Mon Brooks, Davidson
Ryley Beaumont, Elon
Jack Isenbarger, Elon
Lucas Troutman, Elon
Raijon Kelly, Samford
Tim Williams, Samford
Z. Mason, Chattanooga
Trey Sumler, Western Carolina
Karl Cochran, Wofford
2013-14 Preseason Player of the Year
De’Mon Brooks, Davidson
SoCon Men’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish – Media Poll
Team (1st-Place Votes) Total 1. Elon (14) 270 2. Davidson (12) 268 3. Western Carolina 233 4. Samford 176 5. Wofford 165 6. Appalachian State 164 7. Chattanooga 161 8. UNCG 98 9. Furman 69 10. Georgia Southern 66 11. The Citadel 46