SPORTS
Lee and Brajkovic Preseason All-Conference; ‘Cats Picked 6th
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – In addition to Davidson’s Hyunjung Lee and Luka Brajkovic earning preseason all-conference honors, the Wildcats have been predicted to finish sixth in the league standings, the Atlantic 10 announced Wednesday as part of its annual media day.
A junior from Yongin City, South Korea, Lee was one of six players named to the conference’s preseason first team.
In just two seasons at Davidson, Lee has established himself as one of the nation’s top shooters. As a sophomore, the 6-7 wing became the first-ever Wildcat to conclude the season shooting at least 50 percent overall, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent at the line.
Since the 1992-93 campaign, only 11 Division I college basketball players have accomplished this feat.
Recently named to the Erving Watch List, Lee averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season, helping the Wildcats to a third-place finish in the conference standings, followed by a postseason NIT berth.
A third-team selection, Brajkovic contributed 10.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game a year ago, while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor, which ranked sixth among league leaders.
For his career, the 6-10 senior forward has started 84 of the 85 games he’s appeared, recording 50 double-figure performances and 10 double-doubles.
Last year’s champion, St. Bonaventure has been unanimously selected as favorites in the annual preseason poll as voted on by the 14-head coaches and select media members.
Like the Bonnies, Richmond returns all five starters and was picked second ahead of Saint Louis, VCU, Dayton and the Wildcats.
Rhode Island was projected seventh, followed by George Mason in eighth, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph’s and Duquesne in ninth, 10th and 11th, respectively. La Salle, George Washington and Fordham rounded out the poll in order.
The 2021-22 men’s basketball season tips off on Tuesday, Nov. 9 while Conference play begins on Thursday, Dec. 30. The season will culminate with the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship, which will be played at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The league’s premier event will begin Wed., March 9, and the league will crown its 2022 champion on March 13, Selection Sunday.