Men's and Women's Basketball Earn Top Preseason Rankings as Season Draws Near
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Mitchell College men's and women's basketball teams both found themselves in the top spot when the New England Collegiate Conference recently released their 2022-2023 preseason coaches' poll.
The men's team received nine points and three first place votes, as they look to defend their conference title under longtime head coach Todd Peretz.
Peretz, who is entering his 24th season at the helm of the Mariners, was named the NECC Co-Coach of the Year last season as Mitchell claimed its third NECC title and finished with an overall record of 17-11. The Mariners earned the second seed for the NECC Championship, upending top-seeded Eastern Nazarene College on the road to nab an automatic NCAA berth. On the national stage, Mitchell faced top-ranked Randolph-Macon College in the opening round of the NCAA Championship, a team that went on to win the national title.
This year's edition of the Mariners will be led by junior guards Alfonzo Stokes and Mikey Buscetto, both of whom were named to the NECC All-Conference Team last season. Buscetto was also the recipient of the 2022 Cleo Hill award, presented annually to the player with the highest assist per-game average in all divisions of college basketball.
Meanwhile, the Mitchell College women's basketball team received eight points, and two first-place votes, sharing a tie for the top preseason ranking with New England College. The Mariners will also be looking to defend their conference title and are led by Courtney Burns, who enters her sixth season as head coach of the women's basketball program.
Burns led the Mariners to their first-ever New England Collegiate Conference championship and NCAA postseason last season. The Mariners clinched their first conference crown with a 85-74 victory over top-seeded New England College, claiming the NECC's automatic bid for the NCAA Championship. Six days later, Mitchell took on top-ranked Christopher Newport University in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in Baltimore, Md.
This year's edition of the Mariners will be guided by the reigning NECC Player of the Year, senior Amina Wiley, along with key returners including the NECC Co-Rookie of the Year, Yasmine Santos. Wiley led the conference in 2021-2022 with 19.5 points per game, 10.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.1% from the floor and became the the first Mitchell player to earn all-region honors in the Division III era.
The Mitchell College men's basketball team will open up their regular season on Wednesday, November 9th, at Anna Maria College. The women will begin the season on Friday, November 11th, on the road at Trinity College.