By: Dylan Fearon
There doesn’t seem to be any expectations for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team this year.
At least that’s in the eyes of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference coaches. The MAAC preseason poll, voted on by the coaches, was released Tuesday and the Bobcats are predicted to finish last out of 11 teams.
Quinnipiac finished the 2016-17 season at 10-21, including a first round MAAC Tournament exit. Its two best players, Mikey Dixon and Peter Kiss, transferred, and former head coach Tom Moore was fired. Because of that, the Bobcats have a brand new staff and a slew of new players.
First year head coach Baker Dunleavy doesn’t want to limit his players by deciding what a successful season would be in terms of wins, but is just looking for Quinnipiac to progress throughout the year.
#MAACHoops preseason polls come out tonight, but @QU_MBB head coach @BakerDunleavy doesn’t focus on standings, especially this early on. pic.twitter.com/e6zEweCZQH
— Sierra Goodwill (@SierraGoodwill) October 24, 2017
“It’s got to be every cliche you can think of, but it’s true,” Dunleavy told Q30 Sports’ Sierra Goodwill. “Are we getting better? Are we moving in the right direction? Because in this sport, it’s so important to be your best at the end of the year. So even if you ran off a 10-game winning streak in the middle of the year, and then we flattened out, we wouldn’t be happy with that.”
Senior forward Chaise Daniels was an All-MAAC third team selection. Coming off a junior campaign where he averaged 13 points, 6.2 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field, Daniels will be relied upon heavily on a team with many newcomers.
Chaise Daniels is expected to make the All-MAAC team tn. While it’s Dunleavy’s first & last season coaching Daniels, he sees his potential. pic.twitter.com/swH7lgBNgk
— Sierra Goodwill (@SierraGoodwill) October 24, 2017
“He’s got a chance to start from scratch for a new coach. He could be player of the year in the league. He could not make third team… if he keeps getting better throughout the year, and becomes the best he can be, I think he’ll be happy with the accolades.”
Quinnipiac tips off its season Nov. 11 at home against Dartmouth.
