LANCASTER, Pa. – Gettysburg has been selected as the favorite in the Centennial Conference men's basketball preseason poll. In a vote among CC head coaches, the Bullets earned seven first-place votes and 78 points to land atop the rankings.
Johns Hopkins received the other three first-place votes and totaled 71 points to finish second in the poll. Franklin & Marshall was picked third with 65 points, while Swarthmore (57), Ursinus (54) and Dickinson (38) were each projected as playoff teams in fourth through sixth place, respectively.
Muhlenberg was close behind Dickinson in seventh with 35 points, while McDaniel (24), Haverford (16) and Washington College (12) rounded out the voting.
The 2024-25 season tips of on Friday, Nov. 8 with six Centennial teams in action. Conference play will open up on Saturday, Jan. 11, with the six-team CC tournament set for Feb. 25, 28 and March 2 with the higher seeds hosting each round.
2024-25 Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Gettysburg (7) |
78 |
| 2. Johns Hopkins (3) |
71 |
| 3. Franklin & Marshall |
65 |
| 4. Swarthmore |
57 |
| 5. Ursinus |
54 |
| 6. Dickinson |
38 |
| 7. Muhlenberg |
35 |
| 8. McDaniel |
24 |
| 9. Haverford |
16 |
| 10. Washington College |
12 |
2024-25 Schedule | 2023-24 All-Centennial Team | D3hoops.com Preseason Poll
Each of the last six seasons of Centennial Conference have witnessed an identical theme - Swarthmore vs. Johns Hopkins in the championship game. Both sides have won three titles apiece in that span. Both teams have also lost multiple key contributors and will need some new faces to step up this season, but the key question surrounding CC men's basketball remains the same: Can anyone knock off the Garnet or Blue Jays?
Gettysburg seems the most primed to do so, at least according to the preseason vote among CC head coaches and the D3hoops.com national poll. The Bullets welcome back reigning CC Player of the Year Jordan Stafford, a senior guard who was also an NABC All-Region pick and is a two-time All-CC honoree. Another senior guard for the Bullets - Carl Schaller - is back as a multi-time All-CC pick. Schaller enters his senior campaign with back-to-back honorable mention all-conference laurels to his name.
Hopkins senior guard John Windley joins Stafford as the two All-Region players back on the hardwood this winter. The F&M duo of senior forward Josh Parra and junior guard Vakaris Grauslys also return as All-CC honorees. Parra earned honorable mention accolades last year and second team honors in 2023-24, while Grauslys was a second team pick last season.
The Garnet captured last year's title in dramatic fashion, winning on JHU's home court for the second year in a row with a 67-62 victory. Swarthmore went on to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round before being knocked out by Trinity (Conn.).
Swarthmore (29 votes), Gettysburg (19 votes) and Hopkins (4 votes) each were among the teams receiving votes just outside the top 25 in the D3hoops.com Preseason National Rankings.
Returning All-Region (2)
Jordan Stafford, Gettysburg, Sr., G (2023-24 NABC First Team)
John Windley, Johns Hopkins, Sr., G (2023-24 NABC Second Team)
Returning All-Centennial (5)
Josh Parra, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., F (2023-24 Honorable Mention, 2022-23 Second Team)
Vakaris Grauslys, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., G (2023-24 Second Team)
Jordan Stafford, Gettysburg, Sr., G (2023-24 First Team & POTY, 2022-23 Second Team)
Carl Schaller, Gettysburg, Sr., G (2023-24 Honorable Mention, 2022-23 Honorable Mention)
John Windley, Johns Hopkins, Sr., G (2023-24 First Team)
