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Connecticut 6 Preseason Team Selected By Head Coaches
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The head coaches of the Connecticut 6 schools have chosen the 2011 All-Connecticut 6 Preseason Team, placing one student-athlete from each of the member schools.
Central Connecticut’s Ken Horton (Ossining, N.Y.), Fairfield’s Derek Needham (Dolton, Ill.), Hartford’s Genesis Maciel (Los Angeles, Calif.), Quinnipiac’s James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.), Sacred Heart’s Shane Gibson (Killingly, Conn.), and Yale’s Greg Mangano (Orange, Conn.) represent the preseason team.
Horton put together an outstanding season that helped him earn the Northeast Conference Player of the Year honor. He averaged 19.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, number which were aided by his 12 double-doubles. He made 59 three pointers as well.
Needham was an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) selection in 2010-11 after leading the team with a 14.1 scoring average. He earned a spot on the NABC All-District team as well as a berth on the Collegeinsider.com All-America squad. He was the team’s leader with 150 assists.
Maciel represents the team’s top returning scorer with 7.0 points per game. He was a three-point threat a year ago, netting 42 shots from the arc. He showed his ability to score in the clutch when he tallied a career-high 19 points against Maine in the America East tournament.
Johnson was an All-NEC standout as well, averaging 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He was also a solid distributor, dishing off 3.5 assists per game. He was the team’s top three-point shooter, shooting 39 percent from the floor which helped him make 84 from behind the arc.
Gibson finished second in the NEC with a 17.7 scoring average, which allowed him to secure a spot on the All-NEC team. He was the team’s top scorer in 22 of 29 games. He was also a dependable three-point shooter, connecting on 75 long-range jumpers.
Mangano placed ninth in the nation with 3.0 blocks per game, and was ranked 24th in Division I with 10.0 rebounds per outing. He averaged a double-double for the season with 16.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. He earned All-Ivy League honors following the 2010-11 campaign.
The Connecticut 6 Classic is set for November 11, a tripleheader that includes six of Connecticut’s Division I schools. Sacred Heart and Hartford open the day at 3 pm, followed by Fairfield and Quinnipiac tipping off at 5:30 pm. The evening concludes with Yale battling Central Connecticut at 8 pm. The tripleheader will be played at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. All three games will be televised live on CPTV Sports and will be aired again on Saturday, November 12.
