Runnin' Bulldogs Picked Second In South Division Preseason Hoops Poll
October 24, 2013 | Men's Basketball
The Runnin' Bulldogs collected 117 points in the poll, which was voted on by the league's head coaches and select media members. Charleston Southern, which edged Gardner-Webb by one game in last season's division standings and won the overall regular season crown, collected 28 of 30 first place votes to sit in the top spot in the preseason projections for 2013-14.
Coastal Carolina was predicted to finish third and was followed by UNC Asheville, Winthrop and Presbyterian.
High Point garnered 25 of 30 first-place votes to earn the top spot in the North Division, followed by Liberty, Radford, VMI, Campbell and Longwood.
Gardner-Webb junior Donta Harper (6-7, 205, Jr.) earned preseason second-team All-Big South Conference honors and is the top returning scorer for the Runnin' Bulldogs. A dynamic forward who is bigger and stronger heading into his third season, is poised to take over a leadership role under first-year head coach Tim Craft.
Harper averaged 12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game - and made his most impressive impact at the free throw line, making 120-of-167 of his charity shots in 34 starts.
Harper is one of three returning starters for the Runnin' Bulldogs, along with tough, gritty point guard Tyler Strange (5-10, 185, Jr.) and versatile forward Jerome Hill (6-5, 210, So.). Strange has dished off nearly 300 assists in two seasons with GWU and hill averaged 6.1 points per game as a true freshman last season.
Texas A&M transfer Naji Hibbert (6-5, 190, RSr.) will provide a scoring boost on the wing after sitting out last season. The Baltimore, Md., native averaged 20 minutes and 5.2 points per game as a key reserve during his sophomore season - for an Aggies' team that won 24 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament under Mark Turgeon.
Gardner-Webb, which is coming off a 21-win season, opens the 2013-14 campaign at Xavier on Friday, November 8, at 7:00 pm in Cincinnati.
