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BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL:
- Weber State
- Montana
- Eastern Washington
- Sacramento State
- Portland State
- Idaho State
- Montana State
- Northern Arizona (tied 8th)
- Northern Colorado (tied 8th)
- Idaho
BIG SKY MEDIAY DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:
- Weber State
- Eastern Washington
- Montana
- Montana State
- Sacramento State
- Portland State
- Idaho State
- Northern Arizona
- Northern Colorado
- Idaho
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG SKY:
-Dillon Jones – Weber State (Most Valuable Player)
-Aanen Moody – Montana
-Ethan Price – Eastern Washington
-Steven Verplancken Jr. – Weber State
-Brayden Parker – Idaho State
-Jorell Saterfield – Portland State
COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:
-Weber State is the near-unanimous favorite to win the league this year. They were a so-so 16-15 a year ago but were really good down the stretch and have all five starters back. Dillon Jones is a high-caliber player who many expect to make it to the NBA and he has a lot of experience surrounding him. Weber State could make quite a bit of noise not just in the Big Sky this year but perhaps nationally.
-Eastern Washington is another team I really like: I think I might like them as much as Weber State. They blew through this conference last year before being upset in the semifinals of the conference tournament and were one of the better shooting teams in the country. They are losing their two best players from a year ago but three starters are back, they return several players who were able to contribute off the bench last year and who could step into bigger roles, and they have some nice JUCO transfers coming in. Do not overlook the Eagles!
-Montana was very good in the second half of conference play and they have three of their top players back including Aanen Moody, who is one of the best guards in the conference. They also have some pretty strong-looking transfers coming in and I think will be able make a push for the top of the conference, especially considering how strong their backcourt is.
But once you get past the top-three it kind of drops off…
-Sacramento State is getting more preseason love than what they usually do. In fact I cannot remember the last time they finished in the top half of the conference. They do have quite a bit of size but the backcourt is where they look to be inexperienced/unproven.
-Montana State had a really big year last year where they were 15-3 in the conference, won 25 games overall, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Sky Tourney. The bad news is that just one starter is back and the Bobcats are now in a rebuilding mode. Matt Logie takes over as head coach and he has a lot of question marks on the roster.
-Portland State has had three straight losing seasons and was a rather unimpressive 7th in the league a year ago. With just two starters back and Cameron Parker not being one of them it could be a long year for the Vikings.
-Idaho State has not had a winning season in a while and were just 11-21 last year, but they were a somewhat respectable 8-10 in Big Sky play. Having said that, they did not look good at all down the stretch. Just two starters are back for the Bengals as they try and rebuild their roster with some key JUCO transfers. Brayden Parker is also a player to watch for them.
-It is not looking good for the bottom three teams. Northern Arizona was 9th in the conference a year ago and has just two starters back, Northern Colorado was decent last year but has to replace their top two scorers and best players, and Idaho is…well….seemingly always bad.