NEW HAVEN, CT Defending conference tournament champion Bloomfield College is the top pick in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) mens basketball preseason poll, which was released today. The Deacons capped off an outstanding 2004-05 season by advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament before falling to eventual national runner-up, Bryant College.

Bloomfield grabbed eight of the 12 first-place votes in the poll and 138 points overall after going 24-8 overall and 15-5 in the CACC last season. The squad returns last seasons CACC Player of the Year, junior guard Andre Dabney.

Conference newcomer Philadelphia University was picked second with two first-place tallies and 124 points. The Rams went 21-9 overall last season and 17-7 as a member of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Holy Family, which tied Bloomfield last season with a 15-5 regular-season conference record, was picked third in the poll with two first-place nods and 121 total points. The Tigers went 21-9 overall last season.

Caldwell and Felician round out the top five in the preseason poll with 107 and 85 points, respectively. The Cougars went 17-15 last season and 14-6 in conference play, while the Golden Falcons were 15-15 overall and 11-9 in the CACC.

The mens basketball season kicks off on November 11 when Philadelphia, Caldwell and Wilmington compete at the Disney Classic in Florida. The three-day tournament will conclude on Nov. 13th.

CACC Mens Basketball 2005 Preseason Coaches Poll

School2004-05 Records Points

1. Bloomfield (8) 24-8/15-5 138

2.Philadelphia (2)21-9/17-7* 124

3.Holy Family (2) 19-11/15-5 121

4.Caldwell 17-15/14-6 107

5.Felician15-15/11-9 85

6.NJIT 11-17/10-10 77

7.Nyack 20-13/13-7 75

8.Dominican 12-18/10-10 65

9.USP 12-17/10-10 51

10.Post 6-21/6-14 40

11.Goldey-Beacom 6-21/5-15 36

12. Wilmington 2-25/1-19 17

Record as a member of the NYCAC

()-First Place Votes