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SOUTHLAND MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- McNeese
- Stephen F. Austin
- Nicholls
- TAMUCC
- Lamar
- SELA
- Incarnate Word
- UTRGV
- Northwestern State
- TAMU Commerce
- New Orleans
- Houston Christian
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SLC 1ST TEAM:
-Christian Shumate – SR, F – McNeese
-Garry Clark – SR, F – TAMUCC
-Jamal West Jr. – SR, F – Nicholls
-Quadir Copeland – JR, G – McNeese
-Joe Charles – SR, F – McNeese
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SLC 2ND TEAM:
-Javohn Garcia – SR, G – McNeese
-Keon Thompson – JR, G – Stephen F Austin
-Robert Brown III – SR, G – Nicholls
-Jalin Anderson – SR, G – Incarnate Word
-Brandon Murray – SR, G – McNeese
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-McNeese won 30 total games last year after winning just 11 the year before and lost just 1 conference game. 12 of their 17 conference wins were by double-digits, and they blew through the conference tournament. Although they do have to replace their top scorer, three starters are back, and five of their players received preseason SLC honors. This is a team that should once again run away from the rest of the conference and could potentially make some noise on the national stage. Coach Will Wade knows how to use the portal and NIL to build a talented and dominating roster.
There is a pretty big gap between McNeese and everyone else.
-Stephen F. Austin returns to the Southland after spending three years in the WAC. It does not seem like that long ago when they were making noise on the national stage. While they should be competitive in this league, I don’t think they will be able to keep up with McNeese, and I am a little surprised to see them picked as high as 2nd. Having said that, two starters return, and Keon Thompson transfers in from UMass as a strong addition, so there are a few things to like.
-Nicholls was looking pretty strong at the end of the year, and won 7 of their final 8 before losing in the SLC Championship Game. With three starters back, including Jamal West Jr. (who is a solid frontcourt player who can score/rebound), Nicholls should be able to finish at least in the top-3 of the league, and perhaps in the top-2. I actually like them a little more than SFA.
-Jim Shaw had a very good debut season as TAMUCC’s head coach. The team won 21 total games and finished 2nd in the conference standings. With four starters back, expectations for them should be high again. Garry Clark is a solid scorer and rebounder, Leo Torbor is a solid guard and a very good defensive player, and the rest of the players look like they can step up and contribute. I am a little surprised they are picked as low as 4th. The Islanders would have been my 2nd place pick.
-Lamar saw a huge improvement last season under Coach Alvin Brooks. The Cardinals won 19 total games after winning just 9 the year before, and they won four straight down the stretch before losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament. They have three starters coming back, some balanced scoring, and are adding some decent looking transfers to the roster as well. They should be able to continue to build and perhaps end up with a few more wins this year.
-SELA is sort of starting over. They are tasked with replacing four starters from a team that struggled for most of the year but was actually pretty solid in the second half of conference play. Most of their roster appears to have limited experience at the D-1 level, so their players will have to step up into new roles in order to compete with the teams in the top half of the league.
-Incarnate Word, as a program, has struggled since transitioning up to D-1 and coming off probation. They have managed to win more than 10 total games just once in the last seven seasons, but we may see some signs of improvement this year. Three starters are back, which gives them some experience, and they also add two very solid transfers in Jalin Anderson/Davion Bailey, who should give them more talent than they have had in quite some time. I do not think they will finish in the top half of the conference, but I do think they will be more competitive than what we have seen in recent years and will show noticeable improvement.
-UTRGV has a new head coach in Kahil Fennell…and boy does he have some work to do!! They won just 6 total games last year and were a rather abysmal 2-18 in conference play. Just one starter is back, but since the roster needed overhauling that may not be the worst news in the world. They went into the portal and have what appears to be a lot of guys who were solid role players at previous D-1 schools, so if some of them can step up then we should see some improvement this year.
-Northwestern State is having to replace their entire starting lineup after a 9-win season last year. Like UTRGV, it seems to be some D-1 role players, but they also add some solid players from lower divisions.
-TAMU Commerce is still transitioning to D-1 and enters their 3rd season. It is always a tough process, and all things considered I think they have done fairly well. They have won 13 total games in each of their last two seasons, but they may struggle to hit that mark this year. All five starters from a year ago are gone, and they are entering what is perhaps the toughest stretch of the transition process. Key players want out because they do not want to play on a team that is on probation, and it is hard to recruit new players because if they have other opportunities they will take those rather than come play for a school that is on probation. It could be a very long year for the Lions.
-Stacy Hollowell takes over as head coach at New Orleans and faces a steep uphill climb. They won just ten games a year ago and lost most of their starters. They do not seem to have much in the way of players who have played key roles at the D-1 level yet.
-Craig Doty takes over at Houston Christian. This is a team that we have a soft spot for, especially with their uniquely small (but awesome!) arena and the retro uniforms they will sometimes roll out. Having said that, just because we like them does not mean they are good. This could end up being one of the worst teams in all of D-1 this year. They seem to be quite limited on…well…solid D-1-caliber players.
