Bulldogs Ranked #8; Braswell Named First-Team All-American

Senior Darnell Braswell had nine double-doubles last season.

Center Valley, PA (October 9, 2009) – The DeSales University men's basketball team has been ranked #8 in The Sporting News Magazine Pre-Season Top 10 and senior Darnell Braswell (Allentown, PA/William Allen) has been named a First-Team All-American by the organization as announced in the magazine's latest edition.

DeSales returns four of five starters from a team that went 25-6, won the Freedom Conference Championship, and won three games advancing to the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Tournament last season. Head Coach Scott Coval returns for his 17^th season on the DeSales sideline boasting a 281-150 (.652) career record. He was named the Freedom Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth time last season and also earned NABC Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors.

Braswell is among the top returnees from the Bulldogs. He earns Pre-season All-American honors after bursting onto the national scene last year, averaging 16.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. He had nine double-doubles during the year and is widely considered one of the top defenders in the nation. Braswell garnered several accolades last season including being named the Freedom Conference Player of the Year, the ECAC South Region and NABC Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year, and NABC First-Team All-American honors.

The other returning starters for DeSales are junior Brian Hunter (Allentown, PA/Emmaus), senior Jim Malatesta (Warminster, PA/Archbishop Wood), and senior Matt Zwetolitz (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall). Hunter ranked third on the team in scoring last season at 10.5 points per game and led the team in assists (121) and steals (53). Malatesta averaged 6.1 points per game and shot 61.7 percent from the field, while Zwetolitz totaled 4.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs.

The rest of the Top 10 poll consists of Washington-St. Louis (#1), Guilford (#2), Richard Stockton (#3), Franklin & Marshall (#4), Wooster-OH (#5), UMASS-Dartmouth (#6), John Carroll (#7), Wisconsin-Stevens Point (#9), and Brooklyn (#10). The Bulldogs are set to begin the 2009-10 season on Tuesday, November 17^th when they host PSU-Berks at home beginning at 8:00 pm in Billera Hall.

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