Towson basketball teams picked for middle of pack

By David Driver
Posted: October 20, 2009

The Towson University men’s basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the 12-team Colonial Athletic Association, and the Tiger women were pegged for sixth in the CAA on Tuesday. The predictions by the league’s coaches, sports information directors and selected media were released during the annual CAA media day at the ESPN Zone, in Washington.

The Old Dominion men, who return all five starters and have made five consecutive postseason appearances, were picked to win the CAA title. The Monarchs were followed by Northeastern, VCU, George Mason, Hofstra, Drexel and Georgia State in the top eight. After Towson was William & Mary, Delaware and UNC-Wilmington. Towson was 12-22 last year and is 58-96 in five seasons under coach Pat Kennedy. “This is definitely a big year,” said Kennedy, who has two years left on his contract.

Towson has a strong recruiting class with Harford County resident Isaiah Philmore of John Carroll High and Erique Gumbs, also a freshman forward and the player of the year in Delaware in 2007-08 at Caravel Academy. Philmore attracted interest from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA and Atlantic 10 schools, while Gumbs received attention from Big East and Big Ten schools, among others.

Drexel, which won the CAA women’s title last year, was picked to repeat as league champion. The associate head coach for Drexel is Amy Mallon, a former standout at Mt. Hebron High and a member of the Howard County Hall of Fame. She played at Richmond and St. Joseph’s. The Dragons were followed by James Madison, ODU, Delaware and VCU. After the Tigers, the rest of the predictions included Hofstra, UNC-Wilmington, William & Mary, Northeastern, Georgia State and George Mason. The big buzz is Delaware freshman Elena Delle Donne, a former Connecticut recruit who returned to her native state last year and played volleyball at Delaware in 2008. She was rated as the nation’s top senior basketball player coming out of high school.

The Towson women were 17-13 last season after a school-best 22-10 two season ago. “We need one breakout year,” Towson coach Joe Mathews, now in his eighth season, told me Tuesday. “Hopefully, we will peak at the right time.”

Towson senior guard Shanae Baker-Brice was a first-team preseason pick in the CAA while Katrina Wheeler, a senior forward for Towson, was an honorable-mention pick. The Tigers’ roster includes senior forward Haliena Snowden, a Howard County resident who played at Seton Keough, senior guard Alana Nedd (Atholton High) and senior forward Kandace Davis, a Laurel High graduate. Davis was 11th in the CAA in rebounds last year while Snowden was a second-team all-academic performer.

The Towson women begin the season Nov. 13 at West Virginia. The men are home against Miami of Ohio on Nov. 13. The Maryland women play at Towson on Dec. 10.

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