FIGHTING TIGER MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM RANKED 4TH IN NJCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL POLL

The SUNY Cobleskill men’s basketball team made a strong move upward in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III National Poll this week capturing the poll’s number four national ranking this week. The Fighting Tigers who are currently 7-0 overall on the season with a perfect 2-0 mark in Mountain Valley Conference play are also currently ranked first in the NJCAA Region III Division III Coaches Poll. Cobleskill had started the season ranked twelfth overall nationally and second in the regional coaches poll.

“We’re certainly happy to be undefeated at this juncture of the season but it’s very early in the year to be taking nationally rankings very seriously,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Kevin McCarthy. “Polls are a lot of fun for the fans and the media to play around with but coaches are usually more pragmatic about these things. We’re happy to be ranked but we still have a long way to go before we start considering ourselves an elite basketball team this year.”

The Fighting Tigers are being led by a quartet of talented seniors highlighted by senior NJCAA Pre-Season All-American Stanley Francois, Suffern, NY, Suffern High School, who is currently averaging 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 53.2% from the field and including point guard Harley Fuller, Gloversville, NY, Broadalbin-Perth High School, averaging 8.0 points, 8.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game, power forward Anthony Armstead, Schenectady, NY, Schenectady High School, averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game shooting 57.1% from the field and guard Darryl Burns Jr., Brooklyn, NY, Arts & Design High School, who averages 7.7 points and 2.1 assists per contest shooting 44.2% from the field.

The freshman class is led on the outside by guard Matt Williams, Mt. Kisco, NY, Fox Lane High School, averaging 9.6 points, 2.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 47.4% from three-point range and freshman guard Nyquan Bellamy, Poughkeepsie, NY, Poughkeepsie High School, who averages 9.3 points per game shooting 46.8 % from the field including 53.1% from three-point range. On the inside center Victor Ljuljojuraj, Yorktown Heights, NY, Lakeland High School, averages 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game shooting 75.0% from the field and center Kareem Corprew, Brooklyn, NY, Grand Street High School, averages 5.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game shooting 56.0% from the field and 77.8% from the free throw line.

The Fighting Tigers will next be in action on Tuesday November 27th when they travel to Binghamton, NY, to meet the Hornets of Broome Community College as part of a basketball doubleheader with the women taking the court at 6:00 PM followed by the Fighting Tiger and Hornet men’s teams tipping off at 8:00 PM