INDIANA, Pa. – With the start of the 2017-18 season just weeks away, the IUP men's basketball program has received high praise as Street & Smith's yearbook put the Crimson Hawks at No. 3 in its preseason top 10.
In addition, juniors
Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) and
Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) were both named honorable mention All-Americans by the publication.
IUP returns four starters from last year's 28-4 squad that won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Crimson Hawks finished the regular season ranked eighth in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships.
Diaz earned honorable mention All-American honors, was named to the NABC All-Atlantic District team, and was the PSAC West Athlete of the Year after averaging 14.4 points and 10.0 rebounds in 32 games last season. His 14 double-doubles were second in the PSAC, and the most for an IUP player since former Division II Player of the Year Darryl Webb posted 16 during the 2010-11 campaign.
Lombardi joined Diaz on the PSAC West first team and averaged 13.5 points per game with a team-best 175 assists in 32 contests. The point guard was an 81.1 percent free throw shooter who also made 73 three-pointers, second-best on the team. Lombardi had two double-doubles, including a 26-point, 12-assist performance in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Top 25 history
The Crimson Hawks have finished seven of the last eight regular seasons ranked in the top 25, including four top-10 rankings. IUP's highest finish was No. 2 after the 2009-10 regular season.
SCB Hall of Fame Classic tips off season
IUP opens its 2017-18 season in Evansville, Ind. at the Small College Basketball (SCB) Hall of Fame Classic. The Crimson Hawks will face Findlay on Friday, November 3 and Ferris State on Saturday, November 4.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPMens_Bball.
