Winthrop Picked To Win Big South For 3rd Straight Year
Charlotte, N.C. – Winthrop men’s basketball is favored to capture a third consecutive Big South Conference championship as the league office held its annual Basketball Media Day on Wednesday inside the Bojangles Coliseum.
The Big South Conference announced its annual polls and preseason all-conference teams Wednesday morning as Winthrop earned the most votes (153) and first-place votes (16). The league is split into two divisions for the 2021-22 season as the Eagles are the favorite to take the South Division and received the most votes to claim the title.
The Eagles, led by first-year head coach Mark Prosser, received 23 first-place votes and 152 overall followed by UNC Asheville (131 votes), Gardner-Webb (103 votes), Presbyterian College (72 votes), Charleston Southern (47 votes), and USC Upstate (41 votes). The North Division favorite is Campbell with 20 first-place votes and 148 total followed by Longwood (96 votes), North Carolina A&T (92 votes), Radford (83 votes), Hampton (70 votes) and High Point (57 votes). Winthrop was also voted to become the overall champion with 16 votes while Campbell received eight and North Carolina A&T had two.
Junior D.J. Burns Jr. was voted as the Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year to headline the all-conference teams. Burns Jr. scored 22 points on 11-of-12 shooting to lead the Eagles over Campbell in the 2021 Big South Title game. He is the team’s top returning scorer after 10.1 ppg last season on 58 percent shooting from the floor. He was named All-Big South Honorable Mention last season and All-Big South Second Team as a freshman. The 6-9 forward also earned Big South Freshman of the Year honors.
2021-22 Big South Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
First-Team, School, Cl., Pos.
D.J. Burns Jr., Winthrop, R-Jr. F/C
John-Michael Wright, High Point, Jr., G
Cedric Henderson Jr., Campbell, Sr.
Tajion Jones, UNC Asheville, R-Sr., G
Rayshon Harrison, Presbyterian College, Soph., G
Second-Team, School, Cl., Pos.
Kameron Langley, North Carolina A&T, Gr., G
Jordan Whitfield, Campbell, Sr., G
LJ Thorpe, UNC Asheville, R-Sr., F
Russell Dean, Hampton, Jr., G
Justin Hill, Longwood, Soph., G
2021-22 Men’s Basketball Preseason Polls
| Rk – North Division (first-place votes) | Points |
| 1 – Campbell (20) | 148 |
| 2 – Longwood | 96 |
| 3 – North Carolina A&T (3) | 92 |
| 4 – Radford (3) | 83 |
| 5 – Hampton | 70 |
| 6 – High Point | 57 |
| Rk – South Division (first-place votes) | Points |
| 1 – Winthrop (23) | 152 |
| 2 – UNC Asheville (3) | 131 |
| 3 – Gardner-Webb | 103 |
| 4 – Presbyterian College | 72 |
| 5 – Charleston Southern | 47 |
| 6 – USC Upstate | 41 |
