CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content
SUMMIT LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Kansas City
- South Dakota State
- North Dakota State
- Saint Thomas
- Oral Roberts
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Omaha
- Denver
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE 1ST TEAM:
-Kendall Blue – Saint Thomas
-Jamar Brown – SR, G – Kansas City
-Treyson Eaglestaff – JR, G – North Dakota
-Amar Nuljuhovic – SR, F – North Dakota
-Isaac McBride – SR, G – Oral Roberts (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Kaleb Stewart – SR, G – South Dakota
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE 2ND TEAM:
-Oscar Cluff – South Dakota State
-DeAndre Craig – Denver
-Kalen Garry – South Dakota State
-Marquel Sutton – Omaha
-Jacari White – North Dakota State
.
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Kansas City is the preseason favorites, and there is reason for the Roos to be at the top of the poll. Last year they had a rather unspectacular season, but they caught fire late and ended up winning their last six regular season games. With all five starters back, and with how they were looking at the end of the year, the expectations are high. In addition to the five returning starters, they also add a solid grad transfer and JUCO transfer, so it makes sense to pick them to win the league.
-It’s sounds a little crazy to say that a 1st place finisher was a bit of a disappointment, but I really thought South Dakota State could play their way inside the bubble last year. This year, expectations are once again high (they always are) despite all five regular starters from a year ago being gone. Head Coach Eric Henderson has done a fantastic job since taking over five years ago, but I think this year they may struggle more than what we are used to seeing. They are very young and just don’t seem to me like they’ll finish this far up the standings.
-North Dakota State had a below average season a year ago, at least by their standards, and are looking to bounce back this year. They do return a couple of double-digit scorers and are adding some rather strong transfers. The Bison are a bit of a dark horse pick for me (If you can even say that about a team that’s picked to finish as high as 3rd).
-Saint Thomas is entering year 4 of their 5 year transition up from D3, and in that time they have been surprisingly competitive. They won 20 games a year ago, which is pretty remarkable for a transtional team that plays in a conference as strong as the Summit League, and with two key players returning from a year ago we could see the Tommies make some noise again this year.
-Oral Roberts really struggled last year. It was one of their worst seasons in recent memory where they won just 9 D1 games and finished the regular season losing 8 out of 9. Isaac McBride is perhaps the best player in the conference, but he’s going to need more help from his supporting cast if the Golden Eagles are going be competitive within the conference this year.
-North Dakota had one of their best seasons in recent memory last year with 19 total wins and a 2nd place finish. Still, it will be hard for them to continue that momentum into this season as three of their key starters are gone, but they appear to be adding some solid players from NAIA schools. While I’m not predicting them to finish as high as 2nd again this year, I am a little surprised they’re being picked to finish this low.
-We at Hoops HD have always had a soft spot for the Yotes!!! Unfortunately, us having a soft spot for them does not directly result in any success. They’ve struggled the last couple of years and will likely struggle again this year. Three starters do return, including Kaleb Steward who is one of the better guards in the conference, and Paul Burns is another double digit scorer. That experience could result in a few more wins this year for South Dakota.
Omaha has three starters back, appears to have a deep rotation, and will look to get some contributions from what appear to be some solid JUCO players. Still, the preseason polls weren’t too friendly to them. I don’t they’ll finish atop the league, but they should finish a little better than 8th.
-Last, and least, is Denver. Yeah, they’re expected to finish 9th and it’s hard to disagree with that. Having said that, though. They did win 17 total games a year ago and made it all the way to the championship game, which is their best season in recent memory. With two starters back they probably won’t be a team that everyone in the conference can just walk all over.