NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State men’s basketball junior forward Jordan Butler earned a spot on the preseason All-MEAC team as the conference office announced all of its preseason honors on Thursday morning.
In addition, NSU was picked to finish fifth in the league in the preseason voting. Butler, meanwhile, earned a spot on the preseason All-MEAC third team.
The Spartans received 203 points to place fifth behind No. 4 North Carolina Central (234 points). Howard was recognized as the preseason No. 1 team after gathering 14 first-place votes and 299 points. South Carolina State was a close second (nine first-place votes, 292 points), while Hampton finished third (two first-place votes, 250 points).
NSU did rank ahead of No. 6 Bethune-Cookman (182 points) in the voting.
Butler was a three-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week last year, a season in which he averaged 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He ranked third in the league and 34th in the nation in blocks as well as 12th in the MEAC in rebounding. Butler shot a team-high 55.3 percent from the field and also connected on 72.3 percent from the free throw line.
James Daniel III of Howard was named the Preseason Player of the Year and joined teammate Marcel Boyd, Eric Eaves (S.C. State), Jordan Potts (B-CU) and Sam Hunt (North Carolina A&T) on the preseason first team.
Voting was done by the league’s coaches and sports information directors.
NSU begins its season on Nov. 11 at Mississippi State.
2016 MEAC Men’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
| 1. Howard (14) | 299 points |
| 2. South Carolina State (9) | 292 points |
| 3. Hampton (2) | 250 points |
| 4. North Carolina Central | 234 points |
| 5. Norfolk State | 203 points |
| 6. Bethune-Cookman | 182 points |
| 7. North Carolina A&T | 141 points |
| 8. Maryland Eastern Shore | 140 points |
| 9. Morgan State | 136 points |
| 10. Coppin State | 123 points |
| 11. Savannah State | 121 points |
| 12. Delaware State | 104 points |
| 13. Florida A&M | 50 points |
2016-17 Men’s Basketball Preseason All-MEAC Teams
| First Team | ||||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| James Daniel | Howard | G/F | 6-0 | 175 | Sr. | Hampton, Va. |
| Eric Eaves | S.C. State | G | 6-3 | 195 | Sr. | Columbia, S.C. |
| Jordan Potts | Bethune-Cookman | G | 5-10 | 185 | R-Sr. | Columbus, Ohio |
| Sam Hunt | N.C. A&T | G | 6-2 | 175 | R-Jr. | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Marcel Boyd | Howard | F | 6-10 | 230 | Sr. | Accokeek, Md. |
| Second Team | ||||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| Patrick Cole | N.C. Central | G | 6-5 | 210 | R-Sr. | Newark, N.J. |
| Edward Stephens | S.C. State | G | 6-2 | 185 | Jr. | Columbia, S.C. |
| Phillip Carr | Morgan State | F | 6-8 | 200 | Jr. | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Devin Morgan | Delaware State | G | 5-10 | 180 | So. | Chester, Va. |
| Bakari Copeland | MDES | F | 6-6 | 235 | Sr. | Decatur, Ga. |
| Third Team | ||||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| Troyce Manassa | Savannah State | G | 6-4 | 215 | Sr. | Mobile, Ala. |
| Terry Harris Jr. | Coppin State | F | 6-8 | 205 | Sr. | Baltimore, Md. |
| Jordan Butler | Norfolk State | F | 6-6 | 240 | Jr. | Hartford, Conn. |
| DeAndre Haywood | Delaware State | G | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | Paterson, N.J. |
| Damon Collins | Howard | G/F | 6-5 | 180 | Sr. | Grand Prairie, Texas |
Preseason Player of the Year: James Daniel, Howard
Spartan Echo 