Nov. 5, 1997

Jamel Thomas Named Second Team Preseason All-Big East

Friars Picked To Finish Fifth By League's Coaches In BIG EAST 7

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College junior swingman JAMEL THOMAS (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was selected to the 1997-98 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team in voting done by the coaches. The coaches preseason voting also picked Providence for fifth in the conference's BIG EAST 7 Division. Leading the way in the division was Syracuse, followed by Georgetown, Miami and Pittsburgh. Rutgers and Seton Hall tied for sixth.

Thomas is the Friars' lone returning starter and is coming off a sophomore year that saw him average 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on a PC team that was 24-12 and went all the way to the NCAA's Elite Eight. One of the Friars tri-captains this season, Thomas will see playing time at both the shooting guard position and the small forward spot depending on the lineup that Pete Gillen chooses to play.

Here are the First and Second Team Preseason All-BIG EAST Teams as selected by the league's coaches.

FIRST TEAM			           		POS		SECOND TEAM
Pat Garrity, Sr.,  Notre Dame  		F		Richard Hamilton, So., Connecticut
Tim James, Jr., Miami				F		Jamel Thomas, Jr., Providence
Zendon Hamilton, Sr., St. Jophn's	F		Felipe Lopez, Sr., St. John's
Vonteego Cummings, Jr., Pitt		G		Todd Burgan, Sr., Syracuse
Shaheen Holloway, So., Seton Hall	G		Damian Owens, Sr., West Virginia

Notre Dame's Pat Garrity was selected as the league's Preseason Player of the Year and St. John's Ron Artest was chosen as the Preseason Rookie of the Year.

The preseason team picks went like this:

BIG EAST 7		PTS		BIG EAST 6		PTS
Syracuse  (10)	81		Connecticut (9)		69
Georgetown (2)	66		St. John's (4)		63
Miami  (1)		65		West Virginia		46
Pittsburgh		44		Villanova			40
Providence		39		Notre Dame			32
Rutgers			30		Boston College		18

Providence College opens the preseason schedule on Saturday, November 8th when the

Washington AAU Explorers visit the Providence Civic Center for a 7:30 p.m. game. The Friars also play the Around the World All-Stars on Wednesday, November 12th at 7:30 p.m. in the final preseason game. PC's regular season begins on Tuesday, November 18th when the University of Vermont invades the Civic Center for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

For ticket information contact the Friars ticket office at (401) 865-GOPC (4672).

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