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 – JR, G – Saint Thomas
-Jamar Brown – SR, G – Kansas City
-Treysen Eaglestaff – JR, G – North Dakota
-Amar Kuljuhovic – 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 final six regular season games. With all five starters back, and considering how they looked 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 sounds a little crazy to say that a 1st-place finisher was a bit of a disappointment, but I really thought South Dakota State would 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. 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 do not seem to me like they will 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 darkhorse pick for me (if you can even say that about a team that is picked to finish as high as 3rd).
-Saint Thomas is entering year #4 of their 5-year transition up from D-3, and in that time they have been surprisingly competitive. They won 20 games a year ago, which is pretty remarkable for a transitional 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 D-1 games and finished the regular season losing 8 out of 9. Issac McBride is perhaps the best player in the conference, but he will 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 am not predicting them to finish 2nd again this year, I am a little surprised they are being picked to finish this low.
-We at HoopsHD 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 have struggled the last couple of years and will likely struggle again this year. Three starters do return, including Kaleb Stewart who is one of the better guards in the conference, and Paul Bruns 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 were not too friendly to them. I do not think they will finish atop the league, but they should finish a little better than 8th.
-Last, and least, is Denver. They are expected to finish 9th and it is 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 will not be a team that everyone in the conference can just walk all over.