HORIZON LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL
- Milwaukee
- Oakland
- Youngstown State
- Robert Morris
- Purdue Fort Wayne
- Northern Kentucky
- Wright State
- Cleveland State
- Detroit Mercy
- IU Indy
- Green Bay
MEDIA DAY PRESEAOSN ALL-HL 1ST TEAM:
-Orlando Lovejoy – Detroit Mercy
-Marcus Hall – Green Bay
-Amar Augillard – Milwaukee
-Tuburu Naivalurua – Oakland
-Cris Carroll – Youngstown State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-HL 2ND TEAM:
-Faizon Fields – Milwaukee
-Seth Hubbard – Milwaukee
-Dan Gherezgher – Northern Kentucky
-Corey Hadnot II – Purdue Fort Wayne
-DeSean Goode – Robert Morris
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Milwaukee finished with 21 wins a year ago, which was their third straight year of 20 wins or more. Expectations are high again this year despite just having one starter back. They do add some really strong players out of the portal, including Amar Augillard from Fresno State and Seth Hubbard from Western Michigan, so the cupboard is not completely bare. They also add several non-D-1 transfers who appear to have some promise.
-Oakland is coming off a losing season, but expectations are high once again for Greg Kampe’s team. They add several non-D-1 transfers, and Tuburu Naivalurua returns, who is one of the best frontcourt players in the conference. Several guys will have to step into bigger roles, but this is a well-coached team that no one should ever overlook.
-PENGUIN FEVER!!! IT LIVES!!! Despite having just one starter returning from a 21-win team a year ago, expectations are high for Youngstown State. They are trying to win 20+ games for the fourth straight year, which a short time ago would have seemed totally impossible. Jason Nelson and Cris Carroll both saw significant minutes last year and should be able to step into bigger roles this year. Vlad Salaridze is a solid player from UT Martin, and Bryson Dawkins was able to put up points at Houston Christian, so they do have guys that are solidly proven D-1 players. I think the Penguins will once again be a contender in this league, and it would not shock me at all to see them win it.
-Robert Morris went for the double last year finishing in 1st place and then winning the HL Tournament. Unfortunately for them not a single starter is back from that 26-win team. They are looking to some standout players from JUCO and D-2 to help rebuild the roster this year.
-Purdue Fort Wayne adds DeAndre Craig (Denver) and Mikale Stevenson (Grambling) to the roster, both of whom were double-digit scorers a year ago. That, and with two other players who saw significant minutes last year, PFW should be able to compete for the top half of the league again this season.
-Darrin Horn is a good coach, but like a lot of programs Northern Kentucky just cannot seem to get any traction and has difficulty retaining key players from year to year. Only three players are back from last year’s team, so they were tasked with having to rebuild the roster. Donovan Oday was a solid player for Cal State Fullerton last year, but most other transfers are from the lower divisions. It may turn out to be a long year for the Norse.
-Clint Sargent had a tough first year as Wright State’s head coach last year, and may be in for another tough year this year. They were an underwhelming 8-12 in conference play and Brandon Noel, who was hands down their best player, transferred to Ohio State. They do return some key guys from their rotation a year ago, but they will have to step into bigger roles if the Raiders are going to win more games this year.
-Cleveland State has won 20+ games for the last four seasons and been one of the better programs in the HL, so it is kind of strange seeing them picked this low. Part of the reason is all five starters, along with their head coach from last year, are gone. Rob Summers takes over as coach and much of their roster is lacking in players who are proven D-1 contributors, so the Vikings may be in a bit of a rebuild mode now.
-Detroit Mercy won just 8 games last year, which is not good, but they won just one game two years ago. So, they are getting better. I do not think the Titans will contend for the league title, but I do think they will do better than where they have been picked. Four starters are back, and that experience should result in at least being somewhat improved.
-It has been a long time since IU Indy has won more than ten games, and there is a good chance it will not happen this year. They have a new coach in Ben Howlett, and he is tasked with replacing all five starters. He is bringing some key players with him from West Liberty, who was a solid D-2 team last year. It will be interesting to see if they can play at this level.
-Green Bay made the decision to hire Doug Gottlieb, which was remarkable. They then made the decision to retain Doug Gottlieb after he won just four games in his first season, which was even more remarkable. The expectations this season are very low. Marcus Hall is a solid player, but he will need some help from his teammates if the Phoenix are going to climb out of the league’s cellar.
