NORFOLK, Va. – Coppin State's
DeJuan Clayton and
Koby Thomas were named to 2020-21 Men's Basketball Preseason All-MEAC First Team, it was announced by the league office on Thursday morning. Additionally, the Eagles were picked to finish fourth of six Northern Division teams in the Preseason Poll which was voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches and sports information directors.
A redshirt senior from Bowie, Md., Clayton has twice earned All-MEAC accolades and was a Third Team selection last season after receiving Second Team accolades the year prior. Clayton started in all 31 games last season and averaged 12.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while leading the Eagles with 108 assists and 50 steals. Standing 6-foot-2, Clayton reached double figures in scoring 23 times last season and went for at least 20 points in four different games, including a season-high 23 points at Bethune-Cookman. Clayton is known to get to the line often as evidenced by his 21-point performance in CSU's historic win at Loyola Chicago where he went 12-of-14 from the charity stripe.
Clayton has established himself as one of the top players in program-history as he ranks 12
th all-time with 1,280 career points while ranking seventh in CSU history with 337 assists and 343 free throws made. In 100 career games, Clayton has made 91 starts and scored at least 20 points in 17 games.
Thomas was picked to the Preseason First Team despite not being named to an All-MEAC team after the 2019-20 season. A senior out of Philadelphia, Pa., Thomas averaged a team-high 13.3 points on 47.0% shooting in his first season with the Eagles while ranking sixth in the MEAC with 6.8 rebounds per game. Thomas performed even better in MEAC games as he ranked seventh in the conference with 15.6 points, ninth in rebounds (6.3), eighth in steals per game and tenth in field goal percentage (49.4).
Standing 6-foot-6, Thomas reached double figures in points 24 times last season with three games of at least 20 points. Thomas went for 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting in a win over Howard before going for a career-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting in a road win at crosstown rival Morgan State. Prior to Coppin, Thomas played two seasons at Robert Morris University where he was the 2017-18 NEC Rookie of the Year. Thomas enters this season with 953 career points.
In the Predicted Order of Finish, Coppin earned one first place vote but was picked to finish fourth in the Northern Division behind Norfolk State, Morgan State and Howard. The Eagles were predicted ahead of Delaware State and Maryland Eastern Shore.
North Carolina Central was picked first in the South, ahead of Preseason Player of the Year Kameron Langley and North Carolina A&T, Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State.
Coppin is scheduled to open the 2020-21 season at Marshall University on November 25-26 for a two-day Multi-Team Event (MTE). The Eagles will take on the Thundering Herd on Wednesday, followed by a Thanksgiving Day clash against Tennessee State on Thursday. CSU will then travel to face Duke on Saturday, November 28.
The Eagles return just three active players from last season's roster in Clayton, Thomas and sophomore
Reggie James but redshirt freshman
Isaiah Gross and
Kenan Sarvan will suit up for the first time in their collegiate careers this season. Junior
Justin Steers, who was a 2018-19 MEAC All-Rookie Team selection for the Eagles, is also back this season. Among the key newcomers are graduate transfer
Anthony Tarke (NJIT/UTEP) and sophomore
Chereef Knox (Saint Joseph's). Coppin also welcomes three true freshman and three junior college transfers.
2020-21 Preseason All-MEAC Teams
(as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors)
Preseason Player of the Year: Kameron Langley (North Carolina A&T)
First Team
Name Pos. Ht. Cl. School Hometown
Kameron Langley G 6-2 Sr. North Carolina A&T High Point, N.C.
DeJuan Clayton G 6-2 r-Sr. Coppin State Bowie, Md.
C.J. Keyser G 6-3 Sr. NC Central Baltimore, Md.
Koby Thomas F 6-6 Sr. Coppin State Philadelphia, Pa.
Makur Maker G/F 6-11 Fr. Howard Orange County, Calif.
Second Team
Name Pos. Ht. Cl. School Hometown
MJ Randolph G 6-4 Jr. Florida A&M Pensacola, Fla.
Joe Bryant G 6-1 Jr. Norfolk State Norfolk, Va.
Troy Baxter F 6-9 Sr. Morgan State Tallahassee, Fla.
Wayne Bristol G 6-6 So. Howard Upper Marlboro, Md.
Jordan Perkins G 6-1 Sr. NC Central Greensboro, N.C.
Third Team
Name Pos. Ht. Cl. School Hometown
Joe French G 6-5 So. Bethune-Cookman Orlando, Fla.
Pinky Wiley G 5-11 Sr. Delaware State Chesterfield, Va.
Devante Carter G 6-3 Sr. Norfolk State Newport News, Va.
Tyler Maye G 6-1 Sr. North Carolina A&T Farmville, N.C.
Da'Shawn Phillip G 6-5 So. MD Eastern Shore Baltimore, Md.
2020-21 MEAC Predicted Order of Finish
Northern Division
- Norfolk State (16)
- Morgan State (2)
- Howard (3)
- Coppin State (1)
- Delaware State
- MD Eastern Shore
Southern Division
- NC Central (11)
- North Carolina A&T (9)
- Florida A&M (1)
- Bethune-Cookman
- South Carolina State (1)
