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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL:
- Oral Roberts
- South Dakota State
- South Dakota
- North Dakota State
- Denver
- Kansas City
- Western Illinois
- Saint Thomas
- Omaha
- North Dakota
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE 1ST TEAM:
-Max Abmas – JR, G – Oral Roberts (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Luke Appel – SR, F – South Dakota State
-Frankie Fidler – SO, F – Omaha
-Trenton Massner – SR, G – Western Illinois
-Zeke Mayo – SO, G – South Dakota State
-Grant Nelson – JR, F – North Dakota State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SUMMT LEAGUE 2ND TEAM:
-Mason Archambault – SR, G – South Dakota
-Issac McBride – JR, G – Oral Roberts
-Kruz Perrott-Hunt – JR, G – South Dakota
-AJ Plitzuweit – JR, G – South Dakota
-Tevin Smith – SO, G – Denver
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Oral Roberts is the clear Media Day favorite. I guess that makes sense. They have their top-six scorers from last year all coming back, including four starters, and they looked fairly decent down the stretch last year (well…except when they were playing North Dakota State or South Dakota State). So, expectations are understandably high. They do have an outstanding guard in Max Abmas, who is not just good by Summit League standards but by national standards. This team can be fun to watch because they love to shoot it from the outside (at least they have in recent years) and will probably play the same way this year.
-South Dakota State blew through this league a year ago, won 30 total games, and there were many (including myself) that were expecting them to win a game in the NCAA Tournament. They lost Baylor Scheierman, who transferred to Creighton, but they still have quite a few pieces left from last year, including three starters who are returning, and should have some players who can step in to bigger roles this year. I do not think they will run the table in the league like they did a year ago, but it would not shock me to see them win it. Again.
-THE YOTES!!!! I have always been a fan of South Dakota, and I know it seems like I say this every year, but I once again think they could be a surprise team and it would not shock me to see them challenge for 1st place. They were playing really well down the stretch last year and won six out of seven before South Dakota State ended their season in the Summit Semis. Three starters are back. AJ Plitzuweit, who was probably their best player two years ago, is also back after missing last season with an injury. He will likely be one of the better guards in the conference. This team has a lot of pieces, and while they are picked just 3rd in the preseason poll, they are my personal pick to finish 1st!
-North Dakota State is a team that we are used to seeing at or near the top of the standings, but with just one returning starter they appear to be in a bit of a rebuild this year. They lost five of their top eight players to the transfer portal and will need new guys to step up this year.
-Denver has not been good for a while. Last year, they finished 294th in the KenPom rankings, and it was their first top-300 finish in three seasons. They have added some decent looking transfers, and with two other starters returning they could perhaps be better this year. They were picked to finish 5th, and…well…I’ll just say that I am not expecting them to finish any higher than that.
-Kansas City welcomes Marvin Menzies as their new head coach. He had a good run at New Mexico State, and although he struggled a bit at UNLV, he is certainly a good hire for the Roos. He also has his work cut out for him. Just one starter is back from a team that was fairly talented a year ago, but was also somewhat inconsistent (although they did play well down the stretch last year). Just one starter, and only four total players, are back from a year ago, so it is safe to say we have more questions than answers right now about the Roos.
-Western Illinois has one of the best nicknames in all of college sports: the Leathernecks!! They do not, however, have one of the best college basketball teams. They won 16 games a year ago, which was a big improvement after failing to win more than 10 in the previous three seasons, but just one starter is back and they are also rebuilding.
-Saint Thomas had a very good year last year considering that they were transitioning up from D3. Not D2, but D3. The fact that they won any games at all is amazing. They are still ineligible for the postseason but are not picked to finish last. It may sound like a backhanded compliment, but remember that just 18 months ago they were playing against D3 teams with a D3 roster.
-Omaha won just five games a year ago. North Dakota won just six. Both are likely in for long years again this year as they fight it out with Saint Thomas to finish in the top-eight and make it to the conference tournament.