Short named MEAC preseason player of the year (photo courtesy of NSUSpartans.com)
NORFOLK, Va. – Senior guard Jeff Short of the Norfolk State men’s basketball team was voted the Preseason Player of the Year as the MEAC office announced the 2015-16 preseason all-conference teams and predicted order of finish on Tuesday.
In addition, senior guard D’Shon Taylor earned a spot on the preseason All-MEAC second team, and the Spartans were picked to finish third in this year’s preseason poll.
NSU, which finished second in the regular season last year, was selected behind preseason No. 1 North Carolina Central and No. 2 Hampton. The Eagles won the regular season title last year while the Pirates captured the MEAC tournament title.
Short became the fourth Spartan in the last seven years to earn the preseason award after Michael Deloach in 2009, Kyle O’Quinn in 2011 and Pendarvis Williams in 2013. He ranked second in the league and 29th in the nation last year in scoring at 19.1 points per game while also earning first-team NABC All-District 15 and second-team VaSID All-State accolades.
Short ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring, minutes per game (33.9), 3-point field goal percentage (39.4), 3-point field goals per game (2.0), field goal percentage (49.8) and free throw percentage (82.0). He tallied 4.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals per contest while scoring in double figures in all but one game and reaching 20 points in 15 games.
He is the only returning player from last year’s All-MEAC first team and one of just two from either the first or second team.
Taylor ranked 14th in the league in scoring last year at 13.0 points per game while also adding 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He also finished in the top 15 in the league in field goal percentage (45.0) and 3-point field goal percentage (35.5) and in the top 20 in rebounding. Taylor scored in double figures in 24 games and was one of just two players along with Short to appear in all 34 games for the Spartans in 2014-15.
N.C. Central received 14 first-place votes and 316 points to earn the top spot in this year’s preseason poll. Hampton garnered nine first-place votes and 297 points, while NSU compiled 283 points. UMES and Howard rounded out the top 5.
In addition to Short, the all-conference first team was comprised of Howard’s James Daniel, Hampton’s Quinton Chievous, Bruce Beckford of North Carolina A&T and Dominique Elliott of UMES.
Voting was done by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
2015 MEAC Men’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
| 1. North Carolina Central (16) | 316 points |
| 2. Hampton (9) | 297 points |
| 3. Norfolk State | 283 points |
| 4. UMES | 249 points |
| 5. Howard (1) | 235 points |
| 6. North Carolina A&T | 163 points |
| 7. Morgan State | 159 points |
| 8. South Carolina State (1) | 144 points |
| 9. Delaware State | 138 points |
| 10. Bethune-Cookman | 135 points |
| 11. Coppin State (1) | 113 points |
| 12. Savannah State | 103 points |
| 13. Florida A&M | 31 points |
2015-16 Men’s Basketball Preseason All-MEAC Teams
| First Team | ||||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| Jeff Short | Norfolk State | G | 6-4 | 205 | R-Sr. | Bronx, N.Y. |
| James Daniel | Howard | G | 5-10 | 165 | Jr. | Hampton, Va. |
| Quinton Chievous | Hampton | G/F | 6-6 | 215 | Gr. | Chicago, Ill. |
| Bruce Beckford | N.C. A&T | F | 6-7 | 215 | Sr. | Silver Spring, Md. |
| Dominique Elliott | UMES | C | 6-8 | 245 | Sr. | Savannah, Ga. |
| Second Team | ||||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| Brian Darden | Hampton | G | 6-2 | 183 | Sr. | Hampton, Va. |
| Dante Holmes | N.C. Central | G | 6-3 | 190 | R-Sr. | Baltimore, Md. |
| D’Shon Taylor | Norfolk State | G/F | 6-5 | 205 | Sr. | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Cedric Blossom | Morgan State | F | 6-6 | 225 | Sr. | Columbia, Md. |
| Darryl Palmer | S.C. State | C | 6-8 | 210 | Sr. | Summerville, S.C. |
| Third Team | ||||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| Ricky Johnson | Bethune-Cookman | G | 5-9 | 160 | R-Sr. | Akron, Ohio |
| Devin Martin | UMES | G | 6-4 | 205 | Sr. | Baltimore, Md. |
| Greg Mortimer | S.C. State | G/F | 6-3 | 191 | Jr. | Savannah, Ga. |
| Brian Pearson | Savannah State | F | 6-7 | 230 | Sr. | Monroe, Ga. |
| Jervon Pressley | Hampton | C | 6-8 | 250 | Sr. | Charlotte, N.C. |
Preseason Player of the Year: Jeff Short, Norfolk State
Originally posted on NSUSpartans.com | Used with Permission
