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WAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Grand Canyon
- UT Arlington
- Seattle U
- Cal Baptist
- Utah Valley
- Tarleton State
- Abilene Christian
- Utah Tech
- Southern Utah
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM:
-Dominique Daniels Jr. – SR, G – Cal Baptist
-Tyon Grant-Foster – SR, G – Grand Canyon
-Ray Harrison – SR, G – Grand Canyon
-John Christofilis – JR, G – Seattle U
-Freddy Hicks – SR, G/F – Tarleton State
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-I am really big on the Grand Canyon Antelopes. Picking them to win the conference is sort of like picking August to be the hottest month out of August, November, December, January and February. They are the best…and it is not even close. It would not surprise me to see them run the table in both the regular season and the conference tournament. They won 30 games a year ago, made the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the Round of 32 after beating Saint Mary’s, and while it was sloppy they actually held their own with Alabama (who ultimately advanced all the way to the Final Four). Four starters are back from that team. Tyon Grant-Foster averaged over 20ppg a season ago, Ray Harrison is another guy who can score, Duke Brennan is one of the better centers in the conference, and on top of all that JaKobe Coles (a fantastic outside shooter) transfers in from TCU. The question is whether or not this team belongs in the Top-25, and I think the answer to that question is undoubtedly…YES! They are not in the preseason poll. It takes the voters a little while to figure out how good some of the Under the Radar teams are, but I think they crack the rankings before the end of the year and go into the NCAA Tournament way inside the bubble and on the first ballot.
It is actually kind of hard to get all that excited about anyone else…
-UT Arlington had a nice 20-win season a year ago. The problem is that no starters are back and Coach KT Turner (who had a nice debut) is now tasked with reloading the roster. In fact just two players total return, and neither saw substantial playing time. Diante Smith was a standout player and good outside shooter at Nicholls, and Darius Burford was a contributor at Illinois State. I think they will do fine against all the teams in the conference…minus the top one.
-Seattle U has won 20 or more games for the last three seasons since Coach Chris Victor arrived, and last year they took home a bit of hardware after winning the CBI Tournament. This year will be a bit of a challenge as just two starters return and the roster seems to be largely made up of guys who have seen limited minutes at the D-1 level.
-Cal Baptist finished in just 8th place a year ago and are looking to improve on that this year. Dominique Daniels Jr is an outstanding guard who averaged just under 20ppg a season ago, and they have some solid looking JUCO players that can help fill out the roster. I actually like this team a little bit more than where they are being picked. I think they can finish as high as 2nd or 3rd this year.
-Utah Valley, like a lot of teams, is facing a roster overhaul. Just one starter is back from a team that won just 16 games, and they will look to guys who came off the bench last year along with some guys they got in the portal to play bigger roles and contribute this year.
-Tarleton State had a remarkable season last year, especially considering it was their final transitional year. They won 25 total games and advanced to the semifinals of the CIT. Billy Gillispie has proven that given time he can develop talent. The problem is that all of last year’s talent has now moved on. All five starters are gone, and they do not seem to have anyone with any significant D-1 experience on this year’s roster. They do have some promising freshmen, but they will have to step up early in their careers for them to have any sort of success this year.
-Abilene Christian has two starters back, and both were solid scorers and contributors a year ago. Bradyn Hubbard was a standout JUCO player and should be able to contribute some. Other than that, it looks like they will be relying on guys who saw limited minutes last year to step up.
-Utah Tech and Southern Utah each have two starters back, but both struggled last year and look like they will be bringing up the rear again this year. But, when they face each other the games will still be meaningful because they are both members of the Bee Hive Conference! That is one of our favorite Mythical Conferences.