FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Six student-athletes earned a spot on the All-Connecticut 6 Preseason Team as selected by the school's head coaches. Central Connecticut's Kyle Vinales (Detroit, Mich.), Fairfield's Maurice Barrow (Queens, N.Y.), Hartford's Mark Nwakamma (Leander, Texas), Quinnipiac's Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.), Sacred Heart's Louis Montes (Brockton, Mass.), and Yale's Justin Sears (Plainfield, N.J.) comprise the 2013 edition of the team.

Barrow also collected preseason honors in October as the forward collected a spot on the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) preseason third team. He comes into the season as the Stags' top returning starter with 8.9 points per game. He started 14 of his 35 appearances and was the only Stag to secure more offensive rebounds (70) than defensive caroms (68).

Vinales became the quickest Central Connecticut State University student-athlete to reach 1,000 career points when he reached the mark during the 2012-13 season. The guard posted 649 points last year and averaged 19.8 points per game. Vinales was a unanimous selection for the Northeast Conference Preseason team.

Barrow also collected preseason honors in October as the forward collected a spot on the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) preseason third team. He comes into the season as the Stags' top returning starter with 8.9 points per game. He started 14 of his 35 appearances and was the only Stag to secure more offensive rebounds (70) than defensive caroms (68).

Nwakamma received a spot on the America East Preseason All-Tournament Team after picking up All-Conference first team honors last year. He ranked fifth in scoring among the conference leaders with 14.7 points per game, and was also among the conference leaders in rebounding (5.5 rpg), field goal percentage (.475), and steals (1.4 spg).

Azotam averaged 13.6 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game a year ago which was good enough for All-Northeast Conference honors. Those numbers also led to his being selected to the All-MAAC preseason third team as the Bobcats make the transition to the new conference this year. He also scored his 1,000^th career point a year ago.

Montes appeared in all 32 games last season with 17 starts and averaged 22 minutes per outing. He was fourth on the team with 7.8 points per game and placed 18^th in the Northeast Conference with 5.1 caroms per contest. He netted 10 or more points in 11 games and finished with 27 assists, 20 steals, and 15 blocked shots.

Sears completed the 2012-13 campaign with a 9.5 scoring average which was the fourth highest total by any freshman in the Ivy League last season. He finished sixth overall in the league with a .489 field goal percentage and was eighth with 5.3 rebounds every forty minutes. He grabbed 78 rebounds which was the second highest total in the Ivy League.

The Connecticut 6 Classic will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year when the six schools converge on Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, the site for the first-ever Classic in 2009. The first game will feature the top two teams in the poll as Quinnipiac and Hartford tip off at 3 pm. Central Connecticut and Yale University will follow at 5:30 pm, while Fairfield and Sacred Heart complete the tripleheader at 8 pm.

Tickets for the Connecticut 6 Classic are available online through Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Webster Bank Arena box office. Fans may also contact the individual schools for ticket information.