Oct. 22, 2009
Click here for head coach Dereck Whittenburg's remarks
Philadelphia, Pa. - Fordham freshman forward Chris Gaston (Palisades Park, N.J./St. Anthony) was named to the 2009 Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Rookie Team by a vote of conference head coaches and selected media it was announced today during Men's Basketball Media Day. He becomes the second straight Fordham freshman to be named to the Preseason All-Rookie Team, joining sophomore guard Jio Fontan who received the accolade last year.
Gaston arrives at Fordham after playing at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampton, New Hampshire, in 2008-09, where he averaged over 17.0 ppg and 12 rpg. A graduate of St. Anthony (N.J.) High School where he played alongside current Fordham teammates Fontan and Alberto Estwick, he led the 2006-07 St. Anthony squad to a 28-1 record, averaging over 10.0 ppg.
Gaston also played with Fordham classmate Lance Brown in the fall of 2008, leading the New Jersey Playaz Seniors to a 96-81 win over the Juice All-Stars, a team which featured Lance Stephenson, in the famed IS8 Fall Classic. He scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added three blocks in the title game to earn MVP honors of the tournament.
In the team prediction, the coaches and media selected Dayton as the team to beat in the Atlantic 10 men's basketball race, according to a poll of the Atlantic 10's head coaches and selected media released Thursday
The Flyers (27-8/11-5) received 33 of the 57 first-place votes cast by the panel of coaches and media members. Leading UD will be preseason first-team All-Conference selection Chris Wright, who averaged a team-high 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds a year ago.
Xavier (27-8/12-4) received 18 first-place votes and placed second in the preseason poll. The Musketeers seek to become the first A-10 program to win four consecutive regular season titles since Massachusetts captured five straight from 1992-96. One of just nine Division I programs to win at least 25 games in each of the last three seasons, Xavier will be under the direction of first-year head coach and former two-time XU captain Chris Mack.
Richmond (20-16/9-7) was picked third while La Salle, who received a pair of first place votes, was tabbed fourth and will be anchored by preseason first-team choice Rodney Green.
Having won the past two A-10 Championships, Temple (22-12/11-5) finished tied with Duquesne (21-13/9-7) for fifth in the poll. Charlotte (11-20/5-11) was selected seventh in the poll, while Rhode Island was picked eighth. Massachusetts (12-18/7-9) was selected ninth, followed by Saint Joseph's (17-15/9-7), St. Bonaventure (15-15/6-10), Saint Louis (18-14/8-8), George Washington (10-18/4-12) and Fordham (3-25/1-15).
The 2009-10 season tips off on Nov. 13 with eight contests involving A-10 teams, including the Rams hosting Maine at 8:00 p.m. in the Rose Hill Gym. League play commences on Jan. 6 as George Washington travels to St. Bonaventure, Duquesne hosts Richmond, Saint Joseph's visits Temple and Massachusetts hosts Fordham.
Beginning in 2010, a new format will be in place for the 34th Annual Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship. The top 12 teams will qualify for the Championship and first round games will be hosted on the campuses of teams seeded #5, #6, #7, and #8 on Tuesday, Mar. 9, 2010. The setting then shifts to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., as the quarterfinals will commence on Friday, Mar. 12. Semifinal action will take place on Saturday, Mar. 13, with the Championship game held on Sunday, Mar. 14, and televised live nationally at 1:00pm on CBS Sports for the first time in A-10 history.
Last season marked the 15th time in Conference history and sixth since 2000 that multiple A-10 teams earned at-large berths to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The league received two of just four at-large bids awarded to non-BCS conferences a year ago and over the past two seasons, the A-10 leads all non-BCS conferences with six NCAA berths.
