BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team has been picked eighth int the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Roger Williams looks to get back in action after losing their 2020-21 season due to the global pandemic. The Hawks' last full season of competition came in the 2019-20 season, where the Hawks finished the regular season with a 14-11 record and claimed the No. 7 seed for the CCC Tournament. Unfortunately, the team was defeated in the CCC Quarterfinals by eventual CCC Champion Nichols, who pulled away from the Hawks in the closing seconds of the game.
 
This year's team will look much different from the 2019-20 squad, the Hawks only bring back four players from that season's roster. Roger Williams will be laden with youth as the team will be welcoming 12 newcomers onto the court. Looking to help lead the way for RWU is senior guard Eli Harris (Falmouth, Mass.). Harris was named to the 2019-20 All-CCC Second Team, averaging 16.0 points per game that season and finishing tenth in the CCC with a .502 field goal percentage.
 
Nichols and Endicott, who have combined to win the past six CCC Tournament titles, each earned 91 points in the Preseason Coaches' Poll to tie for the top spot. Ranking third is this year's poll is a newcomer to the league, Suffolk, with 65 points. The Rams had a lot of success in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) and will be looking for that carryover into their first full season in the CCC.
 
Salve Regina and Gordon rounded out the top five in this year's voting. The Seahawks claimed 64 points, while the Fighting Scots earned 55.
 
Western New England (53 points), Wentworth (52), and Roger Williams (45) fell in the six through eight spots in this year's rankings with the Hawks earning the final first place vote. The University of New England (21) and Curry (13) closed out the poll in order.
 
The CCC men's basketball teams return to the court for the first time on Friday, Nov. 5 with Western New England and Nichols opening their non-conference schedules. The first CCC matchup of the year takes place on Saturday, Nov. 20 between Endicott and the University of New England with the first full conference date taking place on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season will earn spots in the 2022 CCC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, which begins with the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinal round on Thursday, Feb. 24 with the CCC Championship game being played on Saturday, Feb. 26. The winner of the championship game will be named 2022 CCC Men's Basketball Tournament Champion and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
 
- Release courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference