BUFFALO — The University at Buffalo placed four members on the preseason All-Big 4 squad on Wednesday, it was announced during the annual Big 4 Media Day at the KeyBank Center downtown. Senior Blake Hamilton and sophomore CJ Massinburg were both named to the first team, while senior Willie Conner and sophomore Nick Perkins picked up second team honors.
Hamilton, was named to the All-MAC Third Team after finishing his first season in Buffalo last year. Hamilton, who played his freshman year at Northern Arizona and his sophomore campaign at Mt. San Antonio College, is UB’s returning leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago as he averaged 13.7 and 7.1 per game, respectively. Known as “Big Shot” Blake, Hamilton hit the game winner against Akron in the MAC Championship game to send the Bulls into the NCAA Tournament.
Massinburg played in all 35 games last year and was named to the All-MAC Freshman team as he averaged 11.3 points per game. His best game came against Ohio in February where he recorded 36 points vs. the Bobcats, the highest point total by a Buffalo player last year. His 396 points scored last year were the second most ever scored in a season by a UB freshman.
Conner was named the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player and was also named to newly created All-Defensive team following his junior season. Conner also transferred in after playing his freshman season at Florida A&M and his sophomore year at Odessa Community College. In addition to his defensive prowess, Conner was also a dynamic three-point shooter for the Bulls as he hit 48 of them last year, including six in the MAC Quarterfinal win over Miami (OH), scoring a career-high 25 points.
Perkins, a native of Ypsilanti, MI, also played in all 35 games and he continued to improve as the season progressed, culminating in a 20-point game against Miami (FL) in the NCAA Tournament, where he hit a season-best four three-pointers. Perkins averaged 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Season tickets are currently on sale for the upcoming basketball season, which will get underway on Nov. 4 against Daemen. UB first will host Bulls Madness on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
