BROOKLYN, N.Y. – A veteran St. Bonaventure men's basketball team received a vote of confidence from the media and coaches around the league as the Bonnies were selected third in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll at the conference's annual Media Day Tuesday at Barclays Center. In addition, redshirt senior Daryl Banks III was selected to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference First Team while redshirt junior Chad Venning earned a spot on the Third Team.

Dayton was selected as the preseason favorite with 20 of 25 first-place votes. VCU was second with three first-place votes, but just two voter's points ahead of the Bonnies who also received one first-place tally.

Bona has been selected higher in the preseason poll just twice in program history – two seasons ago when they entered the year as a unanimous favorite coming off a regular season and tournament crown and in 2017 when they were picked second.

The Bonnies enter the year as the league's veteran-most squad.

Combined, the Bonnies roster boasts 725 career games and 562 starts at the Division I level. Among Atlantic 10 teams, only Duquesne has more career game experience on its roster (740) while the Bonnies have more combined career starts than any other A-10 squad.

Banks (121), Mika Adams-Woods (121), Charles Pride (112) and Moses Flowers (102) have all played more than 100 career games with Banks (109) and Adams (104) owning more than 100 career starts each.

Banks (15.4 ppg) and Flowers (9.3 ppg) are two highlights of SBU returning all of its top six scorers from a year ago. Also back are Venning (12.7 ppg), junior Kyrell Luc (11.3 ppg) and sophomores Yann Farell (8.9 ppg) and Barry Evans (3.0 ppg).

In his first year with the Bonnies a season ago, Banks led the team in scoring while pacing the nation in minutes per game (38.4 mpg). He ranked ninth among all A-10 players in points per game during the regular season while playing 96 percent of possible team minutes and starting all 32 contests last year. He poured in 30-plus points three times and totaled seven 20-point efforts while ranking among the conference leaders with 79 3-pointers.

Venning was a breakout star in his first Bonaventure campaign. He played in all 32 games, starting 29 while averaging 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over 28 minutes per night. He stood third in the A-10 for blocks (46) and second in field goal percentage (58.1%).

Joining Bona's experienced core are fifth-year transfers Adams-Woods and Pride, each who have enjoyed extensive success in their collegiate careers. Adams-Woods spent four years at Cincinnati while Pride scored over 1,500 points with 750 rebounds at Bryant.

The Bonnies give a sneak preview of the season with an exhibition game vs. Alfred Wednesday, Nov. 1 in the Reilly Center. The official season kick off is Monday, Nov. 6 vs. Longwood. For information on purchasing season tickets, contact the SBU Ticket Office at (716) 375-2500 or visit GoBonnies.com/Tickets.