WALTHAM, Mass. – After capturing both the Northeast Division regular season title and the Northeast-10 Conference championship last year, the Bentley University men's basketball team is listed third in this year's preseason coaches poll, which was announced today by the conference office.

Coach Jay Lawson's Falcons received four first-place votes and 126 points in the voting. The University of New Haven, with five and 133, topped the poll, and the Pace University Setters were a point ahead of Bentley. Pace collected the other four first place votes.

Rounding out the top five were Saint Anselm College (111) and Southern New Hampshire University (102).

With the departure of Stonehill College, the NE10 will return to a single division this season. Each team will face eight teams twice and the other four once.

Lawson returns three players who started at least 13 games last year. Graduate student Mason Webb (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness HS) and junior Zach Laput (Beacon Falls, Conn./Notre Dame HS) each produced nearly 15 points a game. Grad student Brian Wright-Kinsey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooks School) averaged 8.7 points while splitting time between starting and sixth-man.

Bentley opens the season Nov. 11-12 in Staten Island, N.Y. with games against Goldey-Beacom and Wilmington (Del.) during the 2022 Tournament of Heroes.

NORTHEAST-10 MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1) New Haven - 133 (5)
2) Pace - 127 (4)
3) Bentley - 126 (4)
4) Saint Anselm - 111
5) Southern N.H. - 102
6) Adelphi - 82
7) Franklin Pierce - 67
8) Le Moyne - 65
9) Assumption - 57
9) Saint Rose - 57
11) Saint Michael's - 43
12) Southern Conn. St. - 29
13) American Int'l. - 15