LOCK HAVEN, PA – The IUP men's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division, as the league released its preseason coaches' polls on Thursday afternoon.
 
In addition, senior guard Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) was selected to the All-PSAC West preseason team.
 
The Crimson Hawks received three first place votes in the poll, falling in behind first place Gannon, which garnered six first place votes of the nine division coaches. These two teams tied for the Western Division championship a season ago, but Gannon won both regular season meetings between the two teams.
 
It's the first time since the 2008-09 season that IUP has not been picked to win the PSAC West. Gannon was also on top that year, its inaugural season in the PSAC.
 
Behind the Crimson Hawks in the poll this year is Mercyhurst in third, followed by Slippery Rock in fourth and Pitt-Johnstown in fifth. Seton Hill falls in at number six while California (PA) is seventh, Edinboro is eighth and Clarion is ninth.
 
IUP returns three starters from last year's NCAA tournament squad, along with another two with starting experience. Chance is the most seasoned player on the roster, seeing action in 89 career games while starting 35. He led the Crimson Hawks in minutes (1,066) and minutes per game (36.8), while averaging 10.9 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per game. He shot 42.1 percent from the floor and 80.8 percent from the free throw line while also notching 55 steals.
 
Also returning is senior forward Jeremy Jeffers (Wilson, N.C./Greenfield School), who started 27 of 28 games in his first year with IUP after transferring from Drake. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds and shot 44.0 percent from the floor. Both Chance and Jeffers are co-captains for this year's team.
 
Junior guard Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) also enters his second year at IUP after transferring from Cheyney prior to the 2013-14 season. He started in 18 of the 22 games he played in, averaging 11.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
 
Other contributors from last year's team include junior forward Devon Cottrell (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Gateway) and sophomore guard Cornell Yarde II (Reading, Pa. /Schuylkill Valley). Cottrell has played in 60 career games, starting 15, and is already seventh in program history with 66 career blocks. Yarde II started two of his 29 games in his first season, earning two conference freshman of the week awards.
 
Joining the Crimson Hawks this year are transfers Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) and Daddy Ugbede (San Mateo, Calif./Serra). Dyer comes from West Liberty, where he finished second on the team in scoring a year ago with 14.9 points per game and shot 39.2 percent from three-point range. Ugbede played in 27 games for Drake a season ago, shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and averaging 10.2 minutes per contest.
 
IUP is also nationally ranked by several publications, getting a No. 9 ranking in Division II by The Sporting News and by the Basketball Times. The Division II Bulletin ranks IUP at No. 20.
 
The Crimson Hawks face the University of Pittsburgh and South Florida in exhibition games on Oct. 31 and Nov. 8, respectively. Their regular season gets underway when they host Urbana and Johnson C. Smith in the Atlantic Region Conference Challenge on Nov. 14 and 15. 
 
The results from the poll are listed below. First place votes are in parentheses. 

Eastern Division
1. East Stroudsburg (8)
2. West Chester (1)
3. Lock Haven
4. Bloomsburg
5. Kutztown
6. Millersville
7. Mansfield
8. Shippensburg
9. Cheyney

Preseason All-PSAC East Team
Wali Hepburn, Lock Haven
Whis Grant, East Stroudsburg
Joe Bell, Mansfield
Matt Tobin, East Stroudsburg
Cory Blake, West Chester
Rasheed Moore, East Stroudsburg

Western Division
1. Gannon (6)
2. IUP (3)
3. Mercyhurst
4. Slippery Rock
5. Pitt-Johnstown
6. Seton Hill
7. California
8. Edinboro
9. Clarion

Preseason All-PSAC West Team
Adam Blazek, Gannon
Raphell Thomas-Edwards, Gannon
A'Darius Porter, Gannon
D. Chance, IUP
Kameron Taylor, Seton Hill
Ian Vescovi, Pitt-Johnstown