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SOUTHLAND MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- SE LA
- McNeese
- New Orleans
- TAMU-CC
- Northwestern State
- Nicholls
- TAMU-Commerce
- Houston Christian
- Lamar
- Incarnate Word
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SOUTHLAND 1ST TEAM:
-Christian Shumate – JR, F – McNeese
-Jordan Johnson – SR, G – New Orleans
-Roger McFarlane – SR, G- SE LA
-Bonke Maring – SR, C – Houston Christian
-Shahada Wells – SR, G – McNeese
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SOUTHLAND 2ND TEAM:
-Nick Caldwell – SR, G/F – SE LA
-Tyson Jackson – SR, F – New Orleans
-Javohn Garcia – JR, G – McNeese
-Jerome Brewer Jr – SO, F – TAMU-Commerce
-Micah Thomas – SR, G – Nicholls
-Alec Woodard – SR, G – SE LA
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-SE LA is the preseason media favorite with four starters returning from last year’s team. They finished a very respectable 12-6 in the league despite having only eight scholarship players throughout most of conference play. With more depth and more experience this year they are definitely good enough to win the league. Roger McFarlane is one of the best guards in the conference and a terrific outside shooter so he is a player to watch.
-McNeese is coming off of an unspectacular year where they were just 6-12 in league play and finished 8th in the conference, but with Will Wade taking over as coach (after being fired from LSU amidst allegations of NCAA violations) and the addition of several players who were contributors at D1 programs prior to transferring in, the expectations are immediately high. They do have some talent and we likely will see a big turnaround.
-New Orleans won just ten D1 games a year ago, but they were very good in the final few weeks of the season, winning six of seven before losing in the semis of the conference tournament. With three starters back including Jordan Johnson (who shot over 48% from beyond the arc last year) and Tyson Jackson (who also averaged in double figures), expectations are high for the Privateers considering how strongly they finished the season last year.
-TAMU-CC had a great year last year! They were the first place team! They won the conference tournament! They advanced to the NCAA Tournament! This year…none of their starters are back, their coach is gone, and they have to start completely over. Only two players are back from last year’s roster so it is hard to know what to make of them just yet.
-Northwestern State is also in a reset mode after a really good season a year ago where they won 22 games. Rick Cabrera takes over as head coach and he has just one starter returning. They do have some guys coming in who were really strong at the JUCO level, namely Addison Patterson and Jamison Epps, but while they are adding several strong JUCO players they are kind of light on guys with D1 experience.
-Nicholls is yet another team with a new coach (Tevon Saddler) and an overhauled roster. Micah Thomas is the only returning starter and they are a team that, like many teams in this conference, is a little hard to read coming into the year.
-TAMU-Commerce won an impressive 12 D1 games as a first year transitional team, but the second/third years of the four-year transition are often the hardest. Most key players have either graduated or transferred to teams that are not barred from the NCAA Tournament, and it is hard to replace them with players who can contribute at the same level because the team is barred from the NCAA Tournament. It could be a long year for the Lions.
-Houston Christian won just ten games a year ago, and finished outside the KenPom top-350. Bonke Maring is a really solid player and their top returner. The bad news is that he is their only key returner. They’ve added some JUCO guys to fill some key roles and we may see some improvement this year…but it may end up being another long season.
-Lamar won just six D1 games last year, and while three starters are back expectations are low.
-The expectations for Incarnate Word are even lower as they have just one starter returning and are looking to overhaul their roster.