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SUN BELT MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:
- James Madison
- Appalachian State
- Old Dominion
- Southern Miss
- Louisiana
- South Alabama
- Marshall
- Troy
- Arkansas State
- Texas State
- Georgia State
- Coastal Carolina
- Georgia Southern
- UL Monroe
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SUN BELT 1ST TEAM:
-Austin Crowley – SR, G – Southern Miss (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Terrence Edwards Jr. – JR, G – James Madison
-Donovan Gregory – SR, F – Appalachian State
-Chaunce Jenkins – JR, G – Old Dominion
-Christyon Eugene – SR, G – Troy
-Themus Fulks – JR, G – Louisiana
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SUN BELT 2ND TEAM:
-Tyrell Jones – SR, G – South Alabama
-Kamdyn Curfman – SR, G – Marshall
-Tyreke Locure – SR, G – UL Monroe
-Dwon Odom – JR, G – Georgia State
-Obinna Anochili-Killen – SR, F – Marshall
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SUN BELT 3RD TEAM:
-Terrance Ford Jr. – SO, G – Arkansas State
-Brenden Tucker – SR, G – Georgia State
-CJ Huntley – SR, F – Appalachian State
-Freddy Hicks – JR, G – Arkansas State
-Aamer Muhammad – SR, G – Troy
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-James Madison is the preseason favorite, and while I think they will be good this year I am a little surprised they were picked to finish 1st. They were 12-6 in the league last year and won 19 games against D1 teams, and while Terrance Edwards is back they have just one other starter returning. Their experience (or lack thereof) has me thinking that while they are good they are not the best overall team. They do have some guys transferring in with solid D1 experience, including two grad transfers in Bryant Randleman (High Point)/Michael Green (Robert Morris) who were both effective players a season ago. I am not saying the ceiling is not high: I am just saying I am a little surprised they are the preseason favorite.
-Appalachian State had a ‘meh’ season a year ago where they finished .500 in the league and 13-16 overall against D1. All five starters are back, and because of that the expectations for them are high. I value experience/cohesion as much as anyone and probably more than most people so I do think App State will be a better team this year: I am just not sure they will be THIS much better. They were 9-9 in league play a year ago and lost four of their last six games. Yes, they are experienced, but…2nd?
-Old Dominion had an inexplicably horrible game against Texas State in the Sun Belt Tournament last year to end their season but prior to that they were really on a roll. They won eight of their last ten regular season games, five of which were on the road, and I thought they would be a dangerous team in the conference tournament. I do like their team going into this year with three returning starters, including Chaunce Jenkins who is one of the better guards in the conference. If they can stay healthy, which was an issue for them last year, and get some production off of their bench then they will likely be one of the frontrunners.
-Southern Miss did lose three starters from a team that won 25 games last year and was the first-place team so they do have some guys that they will have to replace, but one of the returning starters is Austin Crowley who is perhaps the best player in the league. They also add Andre Curbelo to the roster, who is transferring in from Saint John’s and who averaged just under 10ppg coming off the bench, so he will likely be a big time contributor as well. They are not quite as strong in the frontcourt and that likely will be an issue for them, but I still think they are once again the best overall team in the conference and am a little shocked they were only picked to finish 4th.
-Louisiana started conference play last season by dumping their first two games against teams you would have expected them to beat. While they did have a few slip-ups after that, from that point on they were the best team in the league. They won 13 of the next 16 regular season games, won the conference tournament, and nearly upset Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. This year could/should have been a year where they had the talent and experience to not just win the SBC again but to become nationally relevant. Unfortunately, a few key players (most notably Jordan Brown) decided to enter the transfer portal and the Ragin’ Cajuns are in a bit of a rebuild mode. They are still good…but not legit nationally-top-40ish-good like they could have been had they retained all their players. Themus Fulks appears to be their top returner and he should give them quite a bit of strength in the backcourt.
-Richie Riley has had a very respectable five year run at South Alabama and they have steadily won more than they have lost, but while they have had some big moments they have not quite put together the type of team that can consistently make a run at winning the conference. I think they will be decent again this year. I think they will land in the top half of the league again this year. I just do not think they will challenge for the top spot in the league.
-Marshall won 24 games last year and was really playing well in the second half of the conference schedule, but were upset in their first conference tournament game against Texas State. They lose quite a bit from last year’s team, but they have two key returners in Kamdyn Cufman/Obinna Anochili-Killen, which should give them some balance in the frontcourt and backcourt. Having said that, I do not see them being able to repeat last year’s success.
-I think Troy has an outstanding head coach in Scott Cross, and while they have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons they really have not broken through as a conference frontrunner yet like I keep expecting them to. This could be a tough year for Troy where they are forced to rebuild. Just two starters are back, (one of which is standout player Christyon Eugene) and while they are adding some standout JUCO transfers who should be able to contribute, it could still be a long year for the Trojans.
-Bryan Hodgson takes over as head coach at Arkansas State and he has his work cut out for him. Three starters are back from a team that won just four SBC games a year ago, and while Freddy Hicks is a guy who received preseason all-conference honors and gives them some strength at the guard position, the rest of the pieces just do not seem to be there.
-After an unspectacular regular season that ended rather pitifully last year, Texas State did suddenly get hot in the conference tournament and after winning three tourney games nearly upset Louisiana in the semifinals. Three starters are back from that team, and if they can play the way they did in the conference tourney then there is reason to hope.
-The days of Ron Hunter leading Georgia State to multiple NCAA Tournaments and even a few NCAA Tournament wins now seems like a long time ago. Georgia State was the last place team a year ago after going just 3-15 in the conference, and while four starters are back and that experience should result in some improvement, chances are they will again be closer to the bottom of the league than the top.
-I cannot understand how Coastal Carolina is not a better program. They became a flagship program in the Big South before joining the Sun Belt but the success just hasn’t followed them. Also, if you have ever been to their campus, it’s beautiful: it is in Myrtle Beach! It is the kind of place you would think that good players would want to go to! They won just 11 total games a year ago and have just one starter returning, so they are in a bit of a reset mode and it will likely be a long season for the Chanticleers.
-Georgia Southern is coming off a modest 17-win season, but with just one starter back it appears there are a lot of unknowns this year and the expectations are not all that high.
-UL Monroe has just one starter back and also appears to be in for a long/frustrating season.