AUSTINTOWN – The Ohio Athletic Conference coaches have picked the Wilmington men's basketball team to finish second in the preseason poll released today (November 7).

The Fightin' Quakers earned two of the 10 first-place votes with the other eight going to preseason favorite Baldwin Wallace, which earned 79 votes.

WC was second with 67 points, followed by Mount Union (65), Capital (56), Marietta (55), John Carroll (38), Ohio Northern (34), Otterbein (25), Heidelberg (21) and Muskingum (10.)

"It's flattering to be held in such high regard by the other coaches in the league," said head coach K.C. Hunt. "Polls are great for fans of the OAC but at the end of the day the team who competes at the highest level for 18 games will be the champion. Hopefully we have the experience and the toughness to be that team."

Wilmington returns three starters, including first team All-OAC selection Malcolm Heard II (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington) from a team that finished 14-13 overall and lost in triple overtime to eventual champion Marietta in the OAC semifinals.

Heard II led the team with 16.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and will be joined by backcourt mates Dwight Johnson (Dayton, OH/Jefferson) and Klarke Ransome (Richwood, OH/North Union) in the starting lineup.

The season kicks off 8 p.m. November 16 against the College of Mount St. Joseph in the MSJ Invitational.