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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:
- Grand Canyon
- New Mexico State
- Stephen F. Austin
- Abilene Christian
- Cal Baptist
- Seattle U
- Utah Valley
- Sam Houston
- Southern Utah
- Tarleton State
- UT Arlington
- Utah Tech
- UTRGV
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:
- Grand Canyon
- New Mexico State
- Stephen F. Austin
- Abilene Christian
- Cal Baptist
- Sam Houston
- Seattle U (tied 6th)
- Utah Valley
- Southern Utah
- UT Arlington
- Tarleton State
- Utah Tech
- UTRGV
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES ALL-WAC 1ST TEAM:
-Airion Simmons – SR, F – Abilene Christian
-Taran Armstrong – SO, G – Cal Baptist
-Jovan Blacksher – JR, G – Grand Canyon
-Xavier Pinson – SR, G – New Mexico State
-Cameron Tyson – JR, G – Seattle U
-Tevian Jones – SR, G/F – Southern Utah
-Justin Johnson – SR, F – UTRGV
-Trey Woodbury – SR, G – Utah Valley
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES ALL-WAC 2ND TEAM:
-Rayshon Harrison – SO, G -Grand Canyon
-Gabe McGlothan – JR, F – Grand Canyon
-Javion May – SR, G – Sam Houston
-Riley Grigsby – SR, G – Seattle U
-Maizen Fausett – SR, F – Southern Utah
-Sadaidriene Hall – SO, F – Stephen F. Austin
-Jaylin Jackson-Posey – SO, G – Stephen F. Austin
-Freddy Hicks – JR, G/F – Tarleton State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA ALL-WAC TEAM:
-Airion Simmons – SR, F – Abilene Christian
-Taran Armstrong – SO, G – Cal Baptist
-Jovan Blacksher – JR, G – Grand Canyon
-Xavier Pinson – SR, G – New Mexico State
-Deshawndre Washington – JR, G – New Mexico State
-Cameron Tyson – JR, G – Seattle U
-Jaylin Jackson-Posey – SO, G – Stephen F. Austin
-Trey Woodbury – SR, G – Utah Valley
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
I don’t always agree with the preseason Media Day polls. Truth be told, despite being an all-knowing puppet, I actually almost always have more questions than answers before the season actually starts. But I usually GENERALLY agree with the preseason prognostications that we see from the supposed experts. Not with this year’s WAC, though. I am literally at a loss when it comes to this particular preseason poll.
-The Lopes of Grand Canyon are quite possibly the best-supported Under the Radar program in existence. They kind of took a step back last year but this year they are once again expected to finish at the top of the league. Three starters are back from a 20+ win team that was playing very well down the stretch. They’ve got a really solid player in Jovan Blacksher and they add what I think are some pretty high-level transfers. To say this team can land inside the bubble may be a bit of a stretch, but this is a damn good Lopes team.
-New Mexico State will soon be joining Conference USA, which is perhaps a step up for them. As a program this team seems to be grossly under-rewarded for how good they usually are. 25+ win seasons are the norm, and it was great to FINALLY see them win a game in the Round of 64 last year after coming so close so many times. The problem is that it looks as though they are starting completely over. They have a new coach in Greg Heiar. They also have an entirely new roster with all five starters being gone from last year and just three returning players. To say they will finish as high as 2nd seems like a bit of a stretch, but I am very familiar with their recent history so I get it. But, there are a lot of question marks with this year’s Aggies team.
-SFA was a constant Southland frontrunner before joining the WAC, but as a program I think they are very healthy and will be in the top half of the league a lot more than they are at the bottom of it. They only have two starters back from last year, but they also appear to have some guys back from injury and some decent transfers, so finishing in the top half of the league is very doable.
-Abilene Christian had a 20+ win season last year, but like a lot of teams they are going through a bit of a transition with just two starters back. They do add some transfers who should be able to step into key roles right away so they should still be a tough team to beat.
-Cal Baptist may be a bit of a dark horse this year. They had their ups and downs last year, but with three starters back and the addition of some pretty-good-looking transfers they can hopefully be more consistent this year and end up finishing in the top half of the league.
-Seattle U is not getting a lot of love at Media Day. I have no clue why. I have searched for injuries to key players and cannot find any. They have four returning starters from a team that was 1st in the conference a year ago. Cameron Tyson and Riley Grigsby are both good players and were both named to preseason All-WAC teams. So…WHAT IS THE PROBLEM!!!??? It seems to me that this would be who would have been picked to finish first. I have no idea what I am missing. They are my pick to win the league.
-Utah Valley was a modest 10-8 in WAC play last year and with three starters back we could see some improvement out of them this year. They managed 20 total wins a year ago and the program seems to be going in the right direction.
-Sam Houston lost their top two players from a year ago, but the other three starters are back and they should be able to at least be competitive this year. I do not think they will win the league but I can see them ending up in the middle of it.
-I am a little surprised to see Southern Utah this low as well. They are new to the WAC after having been in the Big Sky, but the Big Sky and WAC are actually pretty comparable as far as overall strength. They have really been improving as a program over the years, and it has been fun to watch them grow from the dregs of D1 to what has now been back-to-back 20+ win seasons. Three starters are back, including two of their top scorers, they seem to have some decent transfers, so I am once again perplexed at where they have been picked to finish.
-UT Arlington was rather unremarkable last year. They are kind of in a reboot with just one starter returning so it could be a long year for the Mavericks.
-Tarleton State is a transitional program that did not fare too badly last year considering they are transitioning: 11 total wins, and they looked fairly decent in the second half of conference play.
-Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) and UTRGV could both be in for very long seasons this year.