FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- The Fairmont State University men's basketball team checked in at No. 20 in the 2020-21 Basketball Times Preseason Poll that was announced on Thursday afternoon. The Falcons were one of three Mountain East Conference teams to appear in the rankings, with West Liberty at No. 4 and the University of Charleston at No. 18.
 
Fellow Atlantic Region foe Indiana (Pa.) also earned a preseason ranking at No. 5.
 
Under second-year head coach Tim Koenig, Fairmont State returns all five starters and eight of its top nine scorers from a season ago. Dale Bonner (17.8) and Cole VonHandorf (16.3) were Fairmont State's top scorers from a season ago and each earned first team All-Mountain East Conference accolades after leading the Falcons to a 23-7 overall record and the No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Regional Tournament. Kenzie Melko-Marshall was also an honorable mention All-MEC honoree in 2019-20 after ranking third on the team in scoring (14.8) and first in rebounding (4.9). Isaiah Sanders also entered his second year with the Fairmont State program and rounded out four double-figure scorers for the Falcons last season at 14.1 points per game.
 
The Falcons also welcome seven newcomers into the fold in 2020-21, including Zyon Dobbs, a sophomore transfer from James Madison, and Brendan Paul, a junior transfer from Syracuse.
 
Fairmont State is expected to open the 2020-21 season in early January following a delayed start to the Mountain East Conference winter sports schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The complete 2020-21 men's basketball schedule will be announced in the near future on FightingFalcons.com.
 
Basketball Times
Division II Preseason Top 20
1.         NW Missouri State (31-1 last year)
2.         West Texas A&M (32-1)
3.         Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (32-1)
4.         West Liberty, W.Va. (27-4)
5.         Indiana, Pa. (28-2)
6.         Florida Southern (29-2)
7.         Missouri-St. Louis (27-6)
8.         Nova Southeastern, Fla. (23-6)
9.         Azusa Pacific, Calif. (25-4)
10.       Northern State, S.D. (26-6)
11.       Colorado School of Mines (22-10)
12.       Queens, N.C. (24-7)
13.       Augustana, S.D. (19-11)
14.       St. Thomas Aquinas, N.Y. (25-5)
15.       Point Loma, Calif. (24-6)
16.       Alabama-Huntsville (26-5)
17.       Ferris State, Mich. (27-6)
18.       Charleston, W.Va. (25-6)
19.       Sioux Falls, S.D. (22-8)
20.       Fairmont State, W.Va. (23-7)