Sun Belt Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 22, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

SUN BELT MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Arkansas State
  2. James Madison
  3. Troy
  4. South Alabama
  5. Marshall
  6. Louisiana
  7. Southern Miss
  8. Appalachian State
  9. Georgia Southern
  10. Georgia State
  11. Old Dominion
  12. Louisiana Tech
  13. Coastal Carolina
  14. UL Monroe

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SBC 1ST TEAM:

-Adante’ Holiman – SR, G – Old Dominion
-Peyton Law – SR, F – South Alabama
-Jacob Meyer – SR, G – Georgia State
-Noah Otshudi – SR, G – Marshall
-Isaac Taveras – SR, G – Southern Miss

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SBC 2ND TEAM:

-Tameron Ferguson – JR, G – Arkansas State
-Preston Fowler – SO, F – James Madison
-Dallas Gardner – SR, G – Georgia Southern
-Gage Lattimore – JR, G – James Madison
-Layne Taylor – JR, G – Arkansas State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SBC 3RD TEAM:

-Jacoi Hutchinson – SR, G – Troy
-Jamyron Keller – SR, G – Louisiana
-Jalen Langsy – JR, G – South Alabama
-Kyran Tilley – JR, G – Louisiana Tech
-KJ Windham – JR, G – James Madison

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-They call this league the “Fun Belt”, and the nickname is well deserved. For starters, a conference tournament with seven(!) rounds to it means that the regular season is hugely important.

Second, the conference race for the last two years has been bananas!! There was a six-way tie for 2nd place last year!! And the 1st-place team (Troy) was just one game ahead of them! The year before we had a four-way tie for 1st place! The SBC is routinely the most log-jammed conference in all of college hoops! Which means the games down the stretch have been terrific!

Third, it is a guard-heavy league. Of the 15 players who received preseason all-conference honors, all but two are guards. I love frontcourt play, but there is something kind of fun about watching this league with so many good perimeter players and athletic guards night after night after night. It’s…FUN! It’s the Fun Belt! It has not been the best conference in all of college basketball the last two years, but it has been the most fun!

-Arkansas State is this year’s preseason favorite, but truth be told the whole league is a crapshoot. They were one of the six teams that tied for 2nd place last year. No starters are back from that team, but they do have some productive players who are transferring in. Having said that, Jordan Pyke, who was a good player for Incarnate Word last year, seems to be one of the few guys they have with proven D-1 experience, so the lack of solid D-1 experience could be a factor.

-James Madison was 9-9 in the conference last year and finished 8th in the standings, which sounds rather unimpressive, but they were just 2 games back from finishing 2nd, so they really were right in the mix. Like a lot of teams, most of their key players have moved on and they are having to rebuild their roster. Gage Lattimore is a player to watch who had a big season for NC Central last year and Marley Curtis averaged double-figures at North Dakota.

-Troy was last year’s 1st-place team and I think they lead the nation in number of overtime games played. They really were good, but all the starters from last year moved on and it is basically a brand new program with a new roster/coaches. New coach Adam Howard did get some good pickups in the portal in Jacoi Hamilton from Longwood, Robert Davis from Old Dominion, and Caden Diggs from UMBC. They also have some guys coming in who played limited roles at bigger power programs.

-South Alabama won 22 games last year, was one of the six teams that finished in a tie for 2nd place, and like everyone else they had all their starters move on. The good news is that Peyton Law is back after missing the second half of last season due to an injury. They add some prolific scorers from non-D-1 programs and if those guys can step up and produce at this level then the Jaguars could once again be in the mix.

-Marshall is yet another team that tied for 2nd place only to have all their starters from last year move on. They do not appear to have much on this year’s roster in terms of proven D-1 experience. Cornelius Jackson has done a solid job in his two years as coach, but he has his work cut out for him this year. The roster has several players who “transferred down” from higher-level programs, probably due to wanting more playing time.

-The Rajun Cajuns!! It was a rough season for Louisiana last year where they won just 11 total games, and other than a stretch midway through conference play where they went 5-1 in a six game span, they showed little signs of life. Jamyron Keller is back from an injury, and De’vion Lavergne also returns, so they do have some experience this year. Dani Pounds also comes in after a solid year with Tennessee Tech, so I actually do like their roster and think they will have a much better season this year.

-After having a rough year for most of the year, Southern Miss was actually showing signs of life down the stretch. They won six of their final seven and made it all the way to the semis of the “Stairway to Seven” tournament before losing to the eventual champions in Troy. Not much is back from last year’s team, but they did get a huge pickup in the portal in Brandon Weston, who had a great year at Tennessee State last season. They also have several players who put up impressive numbers at non-D-1 schools, so they may have some pieces to work with this year.

-Applachian State was one of hte six teams that finished in a tie for 2nd place and during a stretch in the middle of the season they really got HOT! HOT! HOT! and won seven games in a row. Like seemingly everyone else in the league, they lost all five of their starters. With so many new players who are limited in D-1 experience, it is hard to say for sure who their standout guys will end up being, so Coach Dustin Kerns has his work cut out for him.

-Georgia Southern had a fairly solid season last year winning 21 total games, but none of the starters are back this year. They have a smattering of guys who were role players for D-1 programs a year ago, but other than that they do not have much in the way of proven experience.

-Georgia State had a miserable 10 win season last year. Jon Cremins now takes over as coach and has a rebuilding job ahead of him. Jaden Jackson is a player to watch. He had a good year for South Dakota State last year, and Terrance Dixon Jr. (who last played at Southern) looks to be a formidable grad transfer. Hopefully the Panthers will show some signs of improvement this year.

-Mike Jones has had a rough two years as coach at Old Dominion, and after just a 12-win season a year ago and with no key players returning, he may be in for yet another rough year. Zamoku Weluche-Ume was a solid scorer/rebounder for NC A&T a year ago and is a player to watch, but other than him they seem to be lacking in experience.

-Louisiana Tech is new to the league after being a long time member of Conference USA. I don’t think they will contend for the league title, and I would be kind of surprised if they finished above .500 in league play, but I do not think they will be quite this close to the bottom either. It is a non-D-1-transfer-heavy roster full of guys who put up big numbers. They probably will not produce like that at the D-1 level, but they should do a little better than 12th place.

-Coastal Carolina finished in the six-way tie for 2nd place, but they also lost their entire starting lineup. Coach Justin Gray really did have a good year after winning just ten games the year before, but he may be in for a rough ride this year. Their just is not anyone on their roster who really pops out.

-Last, and least, is UL Monroe. They won just 5 total games a year ago and were 355th in the NET. No key players are back (if they even had any last year) and Ryan Cross takes over as coach. They do have a few guys who were able to produce at the JUCO level and they will be relying on them to try and jumpstart this program.

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Big 12 Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 22, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

BIG 12 MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Arizona
  2. Houston
  3. Kansas
  4. Iowa State
  5. Texas Tech
  6. BYU
  7. TCU
  8. Cincinnati (tied 8th)
  9. West Virginia (tied 8th)
  10. Baylor
  11. Oklahoma State
  12. Arizona State
  13. UCF
  14. Colorado (tied 14th)
  15. Kansas State (tied 14th)
  16. Utah

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM:

-Ivan Kharchenkov – Arizona
-Motiejus Krivas – Arizona
-Paulius Murauskas – Arizona State
-Robert Wright III – BYU
-Dedan Thomas Jr. – Houston
-Joseph Tugler – Houston
-Tamin Lipsey – Iowa State
-Tyran Stokes – Kansas
-Xavier Edmonds – TCU
-JT Toppin – Texas Tech

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Arizona was a Final Four team a year ago and is among the preseason favorites to get back there this year. They lost a ton of talent, but being who they are, they were able to reload the roster. Derek Dixon transfers in from North Carolina to run the point and he is joined in the backcourt by Caleb Holt who is a highly touted freshman. RJ Godfrey transfers in from Clemson to both score/rebound, and Motiejus Krivas is a dominant center. I do not know if I like this team quite as much as last year’s team, but they belong high in the rankings.

-Houston has won 30+ games in each of the last five seasons…which is just an incredible accomplishment! Especially given the teams they have been playing. They are having to reload this year after losing four starters, but they once again appear to have an insanely good team. Dedan Thomas Jr. will be running the point: he averaged over 15ppg last year despite missing part of the season due to an injury. Mercy Miller is a solid outside shooter and Corey Hadnot II transfers in after putting up insane numbers at PFW to make up a solid backcourt. As for the paint, Delrecco Gillespie averaged a double-double at Kent State last year and Joseph Tugler should also be strong underneath. Rebounding and defense is where Houston is typically really tough, though, and I would not expect this year to be any different.

-During our Big 12 Preview Podcast we talked about how young Kansas was. That was before Trey Kaufman-Renn, who was a standout player for Purdue, was officially added to the roster. They now have some experience in the post to go with their young talent. Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes are both highly touted freshmen and while they are undeniably super-talented, can they compete against the likes of Arizona, Houston, and Texas Tech?

-Iowa State is coming off a 29-win season and has two key starters back. Jaquan Johnson had a big year at Bradley last year and will be running the point for the Cyclones this year. Leon Bond III also comes in from Northern Iowa, so it is a solid backcourt from the Missouri Valley. This has been one of the better Big 12 teams in recent years: they were in the Sweet Sixteen last year and should be that good again this year.

-Texas Tech never seems to get the respect they deserve. Being picked 5th in the Big 12 is not bad by any means, but I think they are better than 5th if JT Toppin is healthy. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Cruz Davis both averaged over 20ppg game last year and were huge portal pickups. They have also got some really good outside shooters. Coach Grant McCasland has done nothing but win during the last three years. This is a team that can once again exceed expectations. In fact this is a team that can win the Big 12. In fact I am picking them to win the Big 12: they are that good.

-Kevin Young has had two solid seasons as coach at BYU and seems poised to have yet another solid season this year. Two starters are back from last year’s 23-win team that made the NCAA Tournament including Robert Wright III, who is one of the best point guards in the entire nation. They have acquired several other players who are prolific outside shooters and will once again be a very dangerous team.

-I kind of like this TCU team. They were really playing well down the stretch last season winning 11 of their final 13 before losing to Duke in the Round of 32. Three starters are back including Xavier Edmonds, who gives them a really strong presence in the paint, and they add Gavin Sykes, who was a prolific scorer for Long Beach State last year. It seems like TCU is another team that is frequently overlooked, but Jamie Dixon is a good coach. They return some key players from a team that was good last year, and they picked up a few more good players in the portal, so this should once again be a solid tournament-caliber team.

-I am actually pretty excited about this Cincinnati team. They have a new coach in Jerrod Calhoun, who did a great job at Utah State, and they also have a mostly new roster. They have a solid backcourt with three senior transfers in Tylen Riley, Myles Colvin, and Trevian Carson. All averaged double-figures last year and all can hit from all parts on the court. Tyler Tejada, who averaged close to 18ppg at Towson last year, gives them some presence in the paint. But, this is a guard-heavy team that should be fun to watch and who I think can do really well this year.

-Coach Ross Hodge won 21 games at West Virginia last year, but all five of his starters have moved on. They did pick up some really good players in the portal: particularly Finley Bizjack, who was a standout guard at Butler last year and averaged just over 17ppg. They have guys who were solid role players for power conference schools last year and who will have the opportunity to step up this year.

-Coach Scott Drew has done an amazing job at Baylor. Like…a Hall of Fame-type job. This program was not just in ashes when he took over: the ashes had been scattered into the wind. It was basically just completely gone. The fact that he turned them into a top-25 program, much less won a national championship, is remarkable. Having said that, last season was a struggle and that struggle may continue into this season. They do have two key starters back including Isaac Williams IV, who had a fantastic year as a freshman last year. They also picked up some solid players from Under the Radar schools in Brett Decker Jr. (who was a key player on a very good Liberty team), Isaac Celiscar from Yale, and Evan Chatman from UAB. They have players, but they do not have the stacked rosters that the teams in the top half of the league seem to have.

-Oklahoma State has not been a top-25 program for the last several years, and while they have a few decent players and might even make a push for the NCAA Tournament, I do not see them doing all that well against the teams in the top half of the conference. Kanye Clary is a solid returner and Luka Bogavac was a solid player for North Carolina last year,

-The Randy Bennett Era begins at Arizona State!! Bennett was a hugely successful coach at Saint Mary’s and had an emphasis on a half-court style of play. He is also going to have to build an almost entirely new roster. Paulius Murauskas comes over from Saint Mary’s and will likely be one of the leaders of the team this year. Ben Defty also transfers in after putting up big numbers for Boston U. I do not quite know what to make of this team yet but am anxious to see how they do.

-UCF is coming off a fairly solid year where they were 21-12 overall and made the NCAA Tournament. Johnny Dawkins has done a really solid job with this program in the ten years he has been there and has won 20+ games in each of the last two seasons. I like his roster this year. Caydon Vasko was a solid post player for Winthrop, Dior Johnson was an absolute scoring machine for Tarleton State (averaging over 24ppg), and Mister Dean was a solid player for Charleston. UCF is often overlooked. I do not think they will contend for the top of the league, but I do think they can make it back to the NCAA Tournament with the players they have and the way Dawkins can get his guys to play together.

-I love Tad Boyle as a coach. I say that every year. But…it may be another rough season for Colorado. They did pick up a really solid Under the Radar player in Justin Neely from UNC Greensboro, but they do not have any guys who have really proven themselves at the D-1 level, much less the high-major level.

-Casey Alexander takes over at Kansas State after solid runs at Lipscomb/Belmont. He has left the Bouleveard!! (a bit of a UTR inside joke). Can he win away from the Boulevard?? Can he actually build a program at the high-major level?? This is a lot different than sustaining success at the UTR level. I like the guy…but I think the answer to that question is NO. At least for this year. K-State won 12 games last year and I do not see them doing much better than that this year.

-Utah’s glory days now seem like they were a long time ago. They had one of their worst seasons in recent memory, winning just 10 games last year. Babacar Faye transfers in from Western Kentucky, who was a really solid player for the Toppers last year, but when looking at the rest of the roster, the best way to say it is that they appear to lack depth.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews UC Irvine coach Russell Turner

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

We are less than 10 days away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with UC Irvine coach Russell Turner, who talked about some of his new players and his expectations for this season.

As a player at Hampden-Sydney you set the school scoring record with 2272 career PTS: what is the secret to being a great scorer? That was a long time ago. I played with a great PG who got me the ball in position to score, as did the rest of my teammates, and I had a great coach who fit my style. You must be able to score in a lot of different ways: using both hands, getting fouled, etc. Guys who can score in a lot of different ways are the hardest to guard.

You were named 1st-Team Academic All-American in 1992 and graduated magna cum laude: how did you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I showed up and went to class every day and took pride in my performance on the floor and in the classroom. It was important to me and I worked at it. I had a lot of players who excelled at both academics/athletics because they knew their sports career had a shelf life.

In 2002 you were inducted into your school’s Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That was fun: it is nice to be recognized for your impact. The best part was the memories and the teammates you did it with. We accomplished something special by becoming the 1st team in school history to make the D-3 tourney.

In 2019 as coach at UC Irvine, you won your conference tourney and then had a 6-PT win over Kansas State: how big a deal was it to get the 1st NCAA tourney win in school history? It felt like a big deal to make the NCAA tourney for the 1st time in 2015, and then we were able to win a game when we made it back there in 2019. It was very special because we played in San Jose, so we had a lot of fans/alumni who were there with us in person. We had incredible support from a school that has only been in existence since 1965. March Madness is such a cultural impact point and we got ourselves recognized. It was validation for a lot of alums to see how good we were. A lot of folks around here feel like “little brother” to bigger schools like UCLA/USC, but we accomplished more than some people thought we could.

You were named conference COY 4 times during a 7-year span from 2014-2020: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? There is respect that comes with that but we were being recognized as an entire staff: it is never a 1-person award but rather was about what our group was doing. For the 1st decade I was here it seemed like the coach who won the league got that award. That bar has been raised for us because we have done very good work since then, which is why I give credit to the people I have around me.

In 2025 you won a school-record 32 games (including a nation-high 14 on the road) and made the NIT title game before 1-PT OT loss to Chattanooga: what is the key to winning games on the road? We play a lot of road games, which is 1 way to get better at them. We make good decisions when we travel and believe that we can win. It gives us a bit of an edge, and our style of play helps us grind teams down. We have good depth with a lot of guys who contribute, which gives us a chance. It is a little bit magical: it is hard to get “road kills” and our guys take a lot of pride in that.

You went 7-1 en route to a runner-up finish in the Williams Jones Cup in Taiwan last August due in large part to FR G Josiah Johnson (who led the team in scoring), then won an exhibition game in Montreal 2 weeks ago: what sort of travel budget do you have, and is it too early to predict that Josiah will be named conference ROY? You need a budget to do 2 foreign tours, which is something we had never done before. The Jones Cup is an unbelievable opportunity, and they subsidized a lot of it after we got the invitation. We also have incredible community donor support, so we were very fortunate to travel there/experience the culture in Asia. It was a great learning experience, and it is a big deal in Taiwan: they are real games in a real tourney environment. I had previously agreed to play an exhibition game in Montreal, which was part of our recruitment of Olivier Rioux after he had not played much during his time at Florida. That part of Canada is much different culturally than the US, and we got a great reception there. Josiah is unquestionably a talent, and we have had multiple freshmen here win ROY. It is certainly a possibility and I am encouraged…but he has a long way to go. I want him to keep making progress because there are a lot of good players in the Big West every year.

Olivier was certainly your “biggest” addition during the offseason: what kind of production do you expect to get from the tallest player in the history of the sport? Everybody asks that: he did not play much at Florida, but part of that is because he was on a team that had some of the best big men in the country. There have been times this summer where his size/skill have been dominant so I hope that he can assert himself for us. He should be able to shoot/rebound at a good rate but needs to get better with his conditioning. I think he will be an important factor on our team.

You had losing seasons during your 1st 2 years in Irvine, but since then you have had 14 straight winning seasons and are now the winningest head coach in school history with 344 wins: how have you been able to be so successful for such a long period of time? #1: I have had incredible people around me. I took over a team that had some important foundational pieces to establish our culture. We have had continuity while growing/improving, and as things have changed over the past 3-4 years, we have been aggressive in adapting while staying true to our community. We offer a world-class education and play winning basketball with unselfish people who are willing to make sacrifices. We give ourselves a chance to improve and work very hard at it.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I have a young team that is deep/athletic/talented so I am excited about the journey: we will fight to defend and have a competitive mentality. Every year’s team is different but we always say that our goal is to advance in the NCAA tourney, even though we have not been there in a while. It is important to play for championships in our league so we need to stay focused on the ultimate goal: continuing to improve throughout the year. We have a difficult schedule, but I hope that it gives us the opportunity for some good wins and gets us ready for a 22-game regular season in the Big West. Everyone here is starving to make it back to the NCAA tourney…but we must stay locked in.

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Big Sky Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 22, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:

  1. Montana State
  2. Northern Colorado
  3. Eastern Washington
  4. Montana (tied 4th)
  5. Portland State (tied 4th)
  6. Idaho
  7. Utah Tech
  8. Weber State
  9. Idaho State
  10. Southern Utah
  11. Northern Arizona

BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:

  1. Montana State
  2. Northern Colorado
  3. Eastern Washington
  4. Montana
  5. Portland State
  6. Idaho
  7. Utah Tech
  8. Weber State
  9. Idaho State
  10. Southern Utah
  11. Northern Arizona

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG SKY TEAM:

-Langston Reynolds – Northern Colorado
-Jed Miller – Montana State
-Ethan Potter – Utah Tech
-Andrew Cook – Eastern Washington
-Alton Hamilton IV – Eastern Washington
-Jaiden Feroah – Southern Utah
-Koren Johnson – Portland State

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Montana State is the consensus preseason favorite, and with Jed Miller returning at PG it is easy to understand why. As of now he can play a 5th year due to a court injunction: he averaged just under 15ppg last year and was a great outside shooter. Christian King and Jeremiah Davis were also key pieces last year that return to the team. I like this Bobcats team this year and think they can win the league, but I do not think they will just run away with it.

-Northern Colorado had a train wreck of a season last year, so it is kind of surprising to see them this high in the preseason poll. Langston Reynolds was a big pick up from Minnesota, but other than him….I am just not seeing it. 2nd seems really high to me, but both the media and the coaches voted them that high, so what do I know?

-Eastern Washington’s first half of the season was a nightmare last year, but they had a fantastic finish, winning nine straight before losing their regular season finale and then losing in the semis of the conference tournament. With their top player returning in Alton Hamilton IV, as well as two solid transfers who were double-digit scorers a year ago in Tavi Jackson and Jalen Griffith, I like their roster this year and think they can contend for the league title.

-Montana had a streaky season last year. It ended on a hot streak as they advanced to the Big Sky Championship game, but fell just short of winning the auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament. They do return two starters including Tyler Thompson, who was a fantastic outside shooter last year. They also add some guys who put up dominant numbers at non-D-1 schools, so the Grizz once again have some solid pieces.

-Portland State was last year’s 1st-place team! But…they lost virtually all their key players from that team and Coach Jase Cobum is having to start over. The roster consists of several guys who were standout players at non-D-1 schools, so if they can come together and compete at this level the Vikings might once again have a formidable team.

-Idaho was a modest 9-9 in conference play last year, but then went on to win the Big Sky Tournament, which got them to 21 total wins, and advanced to the NCAAs. Unfortunately none of the starters are back and Coach Alex Pribble has had to rebuild the roster. Kristian Gonzalez does return after coming off the bench last year and averaging in double-figures and he will be joined by some standout JUCO players.

-Utah Tech won 19 games last year, which was their highest win total in quite some time, but most of their contributors from last year have moved on. They are new to the Big Sky this year after being long-time members of the now-defunct WAC. Ethan Potter was their top player and he is back, but the rest of the roster seems to be lacking in D-1 experience/production.

-Weber State, who was once a constant Big Sky frontrunner, has struggled the last two years and after a modest 16-16 season last year they lost all five of their starters. Kaleb Canales takes over as coach and he will have to try and make do with a roster that does not have much in the way of D-1 experience/production.

-Idaho State is another team that struggled last year and failed to retain any key players. They have a few guys who were highly productive at the D-2 level and will be relying on them to step up and contribute against D-1 competition this year.

-Southern Utah is another program that comes over from the WAC. They struggled last season and the expectations are that while the conference has changed, the struggles will likely remain the same. Jaiden Feroah is a player to watch who averaged over 13ppg and was over 40 percent from beyond the arc. He will be joined by several guys who put up impressive numbers at non-D-1 schools, but who can still likely contribute. I do not expect to see Southern Utah at the top of the standings, but I do not think they will be quite this close to the bottom either.

-Northern Arizona won just 10 games last season and was a mere 4-14 in conference play. They do return a couple of starters but it appears to be a JUCO-transfer-heavy team.

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UAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 21, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

UAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Central Arkansas
  2. Little Rock
  3. Austin Peay
  4. UT Arlington
  5. Tarleton State
  6. Eastern Kentucky
  7. Abilene Christian
  8. North Alabama
  9. West Georgia

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-UAC 1ST TEAM:

-Ty Robinson – Central Arkansas (Preseason UAC Player of the Year)
-Caleb Blackwell – Tarleton State
-Zyree Collins – Austin Peay
-Jah’Likai King – Little Rock (Newcomer of the Year)
-Rashaud Marshall – Austin Peay

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-UAC 2ND TEAM:

-Tyrese Lacey – Little Rock
-Justin McCarter – Eastern Kentucky
-Aaron Clark – Little Rock
-Tucker Anderson – Central Arkansas
-Niko Bundalo – UT Arlington

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-UAC 3RD TEAM:

-Luke Moore – Central Arkansas
-Chas Lewless – West Georgia
-Mier Panoam – UT Arlington
-Chuck Love III – Austin Peay
-Timeo Pons – Abilene Christian

OTHER MEDIA DAY AWARDS:

-JaVar Daniel – Tarleton State (Defensive Player of the Year)
-Jalen Lyn – Little Rock (6th Man of the Year)
-John Shulman – Central Arkansas (Coach of the Year)

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-It is the inaugural year for the United Athletic Conference!!! It is a hybrid of football schools from the ASun and the now defunct (and very much missed) WAC. And it is…well…an interesting mesh of teams. I guess that is the best way to put it.

-As a whole, from top to bottom, I must admit that I am not really high on this league, but I am very high on Central Arkansas’s team this year. After years and years of incredibly poor play, they had a breakout season last year where they won 22 total games and were the 1st-place team in the ASun. They fell in the conference championship game, but it was still an outstanding year for a program that prior to last year had seemingly always been anything but outstanding. Four starters are back and I am always a fan of good teams who retain their nucleus of players. Ty Robinson may be the best player in the conference. Harry Beauchamp did not play much as a freshman, but was a fantastic outside shooter when he did play and should step into a bigger role this year. I really cannot see anyone other than Central Arkansas winning the league this year.

-Travis Ford takes over at Little Rock as coach. The team was a disappointing 12-20 overall last year and never seemed to play up to their expectations during the few years they were in the OVC. A fresh start may be what they need and they have been voted to finish as high as 2nd in the preseason poll. Jah’Likai King had a solid season at UMBC last year where he averaged 14ppg and Aaron Clark was a dependable scorer/good player at Pepperdine, so they do have some good players with good D-1 experience. They also have some guys who were standouts at non-D-1 programs last year, so we could see them take a step forward.

-Austin Peay tied Central Arkansas for 1st place in the ASun last year, but does not return quite as many players as Central Arkansas. Still, the Govs are a team to watch. They won 22 games last year and return two of their top scorers in Rashaud Marshall/Zyree Collins. They do not appear to have a lot of depth, which could be an issue, but they should definitely be one of the better teams.

-UT Arlington had a fairly solid year in the WAC last year, but they return very little at the top of their rotation and appear to be in a rebuilding mode. They have some guys from high-major programs who saw limited playing time who have transferred in. They will likely see a lot more playing time at UTA and will need to step up in order for them to have any success.

-I was really big on Eastern Kentucky last year and they fell so short of how good I thought they would be that it’s hard for me to put much faith into them again this year. AW Hamilton will be in his 9th season as coach and has a couple of players who put up huge numbers in JUCO a year ago, but they do not have much in the way of proven D-1 experience.

-Abilene Christian was a rather unspectacular 14-19 last year and they do not look to be all that much better (or worse) this year. Two starters are returning, but they do not appear to have much in the way of any prolific scorers so it could be another long year for the Wildcats.

-Two years ago North Alabama was one of the most exciting Under the Radar stories in all of college basketball. Last year they won just nine total games, which was just an astounding fall from what they had been the year before. This year the expectations are not that much better. All the starters from last year have moved on and Coach Tony Pujol (who I do believe to be a good coach) has another uphill battle this year. They will turn to several D2 and JUCO transfers to try and get things jumpstarted this year.

-West Georgia is in their 3rd transitional season, so due to the new rules they will be full-blown D-1 next season. As for this season…it is most likely going to be a very long one. They did win 15 games last year, which by transitional standards is actually quite good. Chas Lewless had a solid season as a freshman last year and is a player to watch this year, but he does not seem to have much help around him and chances are they will not finish much higher than last.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Penn assistant coach Ronald Moore

Posted on October 21, 2026 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

We are less than 11 days away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Penn assistant coach Ronald Moore, who talked about the Quakers’ magical season last year and his expectations for this season.

As a player at Siena, you were named 2nd-team All-MAAC in 2009 and 1st-team All-MAAC in 2010: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It is always good to get individual accolades, but I could not have won those without my great teammates pushing me every day in practice. We were connected both on and off the court.

In the 2009 NCAA tourney you scored 11 PTS in a win over Vanderbilt, and in the 2010 NCAA tourney you made a 3-PT shot at the end of the 1st OT and another 3-PT shot at the end of the 2nd OT in a win over Ohio State (www.youtube.com/watch?v=MabKVav_JZk): what is the secret to pulling off an upset in March? You need to prepare for that all season long. Coach Fran McCaffery does that via a grueling non-conference schedule, and it is a result of the constant work that we put in. If you want to execute on the big stage then confidence is definitely a key.

You graduated with 823 career AST, which remains the most in school history: what is the key to being a great PG? It is a mixture of things. You need guys around you who can put the ball in the basket by being ready to catch/shoot outside or catch/finish inside. Fran allowed me to use my speed to my advantage and our offense was catered to my game.

You went undrafted in 2010 but spent the next decade playing pro basketball overseas: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US and basketball in other countries? The pro style in Europe is more similar to the NCAA than the NBA based on the schemes, but there is a lot more physicality in Europe. This era in the US seems a little bit softer: in Europe you must be able to play through contact to be successful.

In 2017 you were inducted into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is always an honor to be viewed as a Hall of Famer on any level. Siena was my 2nd home and the place where I met my wife: I go back every year to visit a school that was such a big part of my career. It meant a lot for them to recognize both my individual career and the team goals that we were able to accomplish.

Fran hired you as his assistant last year at Penn: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is a player’s coach: he allows guys to be themselves and gives them the confidence to do so. I think the players before/after me would echo that sentiment, and it was evident last year if you look at the turnaround we had at Penn. Every player wants to have a coach who truly believes in them and gets the best out of both him and the entire team. Sitting alongside him on the bench now, I see his attention to detail in pointing out the mistakes to our guys so we can constantly get better. He likes to preach that every game comes down to 1-2 possessions and I can see what goes into it: I believe he is a Hall of Fame coach.

Last fall Penn was picked to finish 7th in the Ivy preseason media poll, but finished 3rd in the league and became the first #3 seed to win the Ivy tourney thanks to a pair of OT wins over the top-2 seeds (Harvard/Yale) despite not having your leading scorer Ethan Roberts: did you think an NCAA tourney bid was possible at this time last year, and how did winning a title as a coach compare to winning a title as a player? The frustrating part is that I like to think I had some control of the outcome when I was a player…but I do not have as much control from the sideline! I knew we had some potential last fall, but I would be lying if I said that I knew we would win an Ivy tourney title. It takes weeks/months to put in a new system and learn what to do and what not to do. However, ss the season went on, by mid-January I thought that on any given day we could win a title.

Your best returning player is 2026 Ivy tourney MVP TJ Power, who led the conference with 43.2 3P% and scored 44 PTS in the Ivy title game win over Yale (the 3rd-highest scoring game in school history: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Crsrn1d2DY): what makes him such a great player? I have only known TJ for a year, but Fran recruited him out of high school back when he was at Iowa. He is such a great kid and understands the bigger picture after coming here from Duke/Virginia. In today’s era kids often think they know it all, but TJ can take a coach’s knowledge and put it into play on the court. We knew he was capable of being a great player, and it was great to see how he put the team on his back in the title game. Having him stay with us this year, I think he will carve out a legacy for himself at Penn because the sky is the limit.

Your cousin John Salmons played in the NBA, your uncle Jimmie Baker played in the ABA, and your brother Chuck played pro basketball overseas: who is the best athlete in the family? I will always say myself: we were literally arguing about this an hour ago! All my relatives had great success but kept pushing me, which increased my competitive nature and taught me what potholes to avoid. I will share this interview with them once it gets posted!

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I was all about setting the bar high as a player and nothing has changed for me as a coach. Ivy League champion is the standard we have set after last year, and I think it is attainable when you look at the pieces we have brought in this year. I think we can get a seed that gives us a chance to make a run, and if we are playing a good brand of basketball in March then I think we can win a game or 2. We need to make the players truly believe they can do that while also taking it 1 game at a time.

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