Men's basketball picked sixth; Frazier picked as top rookie

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Picked To Finish Sixth In Inaugural American Athletic Conference Season
Freshman Keith Frazier Named Preseason Rookie Of The Year

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (SMU/The American) --- SMU Men's Basketball was picked to finish sixth in the American Athletic Conference's first preseason coaches' poll. SMU freshman Keith Frazier, a McDonald's All-American from Dallas Kimball High School, was tabbed as the Preseason Rookie of the Year. Defending NCAA Champion Louisville was the unanimous selection to win the league. Connecticut was picked second while 2013 NCAA teams Memphis, Cincinnati and Temple were picked third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Mustangs return all five starters in their second season under head coach Larry Brown while adding the No. 14 ranked recruiting class and three transfers that sat out last season. The Mustangs went 15-17 last year with Cannen Cunningham, Jalen Jones, Ryan Manuel, Nick Russell, and Shawn Williams starting the entire season. They are joined by transfers Nic Moore (from Illinois State), Markus Kennedy (from Villanova) and Crandall Head (from Illinois). The recruiting class that is ranked as high as No. 14 includes Frazier, one of the nation's top junior college prospects in Yanick Moreira, and a pair of Illinois' Mr. Basketball finalists from the Chicago area in Sterling Brown and Ben Moore. The Mustangs also return Kevin Dunleavy while adding newcomers Jean-Micheal Mudiay and Jonathan Wilfong.

SMU opens the season on Nov. 8 versus TCU in the Tip-Off Showcase at the American Airlines Center at 6:30 p.m. The inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference begins at Cincinnati on Jan. 1 followed by SMU's debut in the newly-renovated Moody Coliseum ($47 million) on Saturday, Jan. 4, when the Mustangs host three-time NCAA champion Connecticut.
SEASON TICKETS - SMU has 16 home games this year. All nine American Athletic Conference home games will be on campus in Moody Coliseum. Season tickets start at just $125. For more information call 214-SMU-GAME ( 214-768-4263) or click HERE. All SMU basketball games are broadcast on the Mustangs Radio Network; which includes the flagship KAAM 770 AM in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and SMUMustangs.com.

2013-14 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Rank. Team (First-Place Votes) - Pts.
1. Louisville (9) * - 81
2. UConn (1) - 69
3. Memphis - 68
4. Cincinnati - 58
5. Temple - 40
6. SMU - 39
7. Houston - 28
8. USF - 27
9. UCF - 24
10. Rutgers - 16

2013-14 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL HONORS

Preseason Player of the Year
Russ Smith, G, Sr., Louisville

Preseason Rookie of the Year
Keith Frazier, G, Fr., SMU

Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
Sean Kilpatrick, G, Cincinnati
Shabazz Napier, G, UConn *
Chane Behanan, F, Louisville
Russ Smith, G, Louisville *
Joe Jackson, G, Memphis *
Second Team
Isaiah Sykes, G, UCF
Ryan Boatright, G, UConn
TaShawn Thomas, F, Houston
Montrezl Harrell, F, Louisville
Anthony Collins, G, USF
Victor Rudd, F, USF

* unanimous selection

[Harry0569]

damnit just beat me.

thanks for posting

[PonySnob]

It'll be great to see Frazier play when conference play rolls around.................

[Smerkins]

Very surprised at Keith being named top Frosh over the Memphis and Louisville Freshman. Very exciting.

[hoopmanx]

Very surprised considering most players on our own team, not to mention coaches, seem more impressed by Sterling and Ben

[The PonyGrad]

According to Rivals there was only one other top 25 recruit in the AAC besides Frasier. The other was from Memphis one ranking spot above.

[Harry0569]

Very surprised considering most players on our own team, not to mention coaches, seem more impressed by Sterling and Ben

So are realistically going 10-12 deep (note: these are not starters, just guys in the rotation)?
G: Moore / Russell
G Manuel / Frazier / Head / Brown
F Jones / Moore
F Kennedy / S. Williams
C - Cunningham / Moreira

[SMU 86]

Moreira has been given some good compliments as well.

[SMU 86]

http://theamerican.org/news/2013/10/15/ ... 35713.aspx