Pippen Named to Preseason All-MAC Second Team
11/19/2020 9:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball, The Golden Flashes Club
CLEVELAND, Ohio- The Kent State University men's basketball team has been picked to finish seventh in the Mid-American Conference in the 2020-21 MAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll, which was announced by the conference office Thursday (Nov. 19) morning. Additionally, senior Danny Pippen was named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team. The preseason poll and all-conference teams are both voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
This season will mark the first time since the 1996-97 campaign that the MAC will not have divisional play for basketball.
Pippen averaged 14.1points per game and led the team averaging 7.3 rebounds and recorded seven double-doubles on the season while scoring in double-figures in 24 of his 30 games played, including four 20-point performances. He scored a career-high 21 points against Buffalo while tying a single-game record of seven blocks against Detroit Mercy. Pippen led the team with 47 blocks (3rd in MAC) and averaged 1.52 blocks per game.
The Flashes received 65 points, while Bowling Green (132 pts.) was selected to win the MAC's regular-season title. Ohio (117) and Akron (115) were slated to finish in second and third place.
Kent State was one of eight different schools to collect votes to capture the MAC Tournament title at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Bowling Green led the way with four votes followed by Akron with two and Ball State, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami, Toledo, and the Golden Flashes with one apiece.
Kent State returns five players from last season's team, including Pippen, Tervell Beck (3.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg), Giovanni Santiago (2.5 ppg, 46 assists), Evan Bainbridge, and Kalin Bennett.
Be sure to follow the Golden Flashes on Twitter for news and updates about the team.
2020-21 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First Place Votes )
- Bowling Green (8) – 132 points
- Ohio (1) – 117 points
- Akron (2) – 115 points
- Buffalo – 109 points
- Ball State – 104 points
- Toledo (1) – 93 points
- Kent State – 65 points
- Eastern Michigan – 57 points
- Miami – 48 points
- Northern Illinois – 43 points
- Central Michigan – 40 points
- Western Michigan – 13 points
MAC Tournament Champions: Bowling Green (4), Akron (2), Ball State (1), Buffalo (1), Eastern Michigan (1), Kent State (1), Miami (1), Toledo (1)
Preseason All-MAC First Team
Loren Cristian Jackson, Senior, G, Akron
Justin Turner, Grad, G, Bowling Green
Jayvon Graves, Senior, G, Buffalo
Jason Preston, Junior, G, Ohio
Marreon Jackson, Senior, G, Toledo
Preseason All-MAC Second Team
Ishmael El-Amin, Senior, G, Ball State
Daeqwon Plowden, Senior, F, Bowling Green
Josh Mballa, Junior, F, Buffalo
Danny Pippen, Senior, F, Kent State
Ben Vander Plas, R-Junior, F, Ohio
