Brooklyn’s Blackbirds Go Fourth
Defending champs picked to finish in middle of NEC pack
LIU-Brooklyn men’s basketball coach Jack Perri wasn’t the least bit insulted that his Blackbirds were picked to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
In fact, entering his second year at the helm of the Downtown Brooklyn program, Perri took the middle-of-the-pack ranking as a compliment to his new-look squad, which is in the midst of a significant transition after capturing an unprecedented third consecutive NEC title last season.
“We were picked [as high as] fourth based on what we’ve done the past few years,” Perri humbly noted after learning during Tuesday’s NEC media day at the Barclays Center that Wagner, Robert Morris and Bryant were all picked to finish in front of his reigning champions.