BIG SOUTH MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- High Point
- UNC Asheville
- Longwood
- Radford
- Winthrop
- Presbyterian
- Charleston Southern
- Gardner-Webb
- USC Upstate
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG SOUTH 1ST TEAM:
-Toyaz Solomon – SR, F – UNC Asheville
-Rob Martin – SR, G – High Point
-Scotty Washington – SR, G – High Point
-Elijah Tucker – SR, F – Longwood
-Jaylon Johnson – SR, G – Radford
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG SOUTH 2ND TEAM:
-Kameron Taylor – SO, G/F – UNC Asheville
-Jonah Pierce – SR, F – Presbyterian
-Daylen Berry – SR, G – Winthrop
-A’lahn Sumler – JR, G – Charleston Southern
-Karmani Gregory – JR, G – USC Upstate
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-High Point has established itself as the flagship team in this conference and is now one of the top Under the Radar programs in the country. In the transfer-heavy/NIL era, they are willing to play the game. Just one starter is back from a year ago, but they have some proven players transferring in. Rob Martin (SEMO), Vincent Brady (Missouri State), and Scotty Washington (Cal State Northridge), were all big-time scorers last season and will all likely be big-time contributors this year. They were 14-2 in conference last year before winning the Big South Tournament and they won 29 games overall. Flynn Clayman takes over as head coach after being the top assistant last year, and he has a lot to work with.
-UNC Asheville had a solid season last year (winning 21 total games), and the expectations are high this year. I do not know how close they are to High Point, but they are definitely one of the better teams in the league. Toyaz Solomon is the lone returning starter, but he was one of the better players in the conference a year ago and will likely be again this year. DJ Patrick (Charleston Southern) and Justin Wright (LMU) are two other transfers who averaged double-digits at the D-1 level a year ago.
-Longwood was a modest 18-14 overall last year, but they absolutely fell apart in the second half of conference play. Ronnie Thomas takes over as head coach and he has two starters back in Elijah Tucker and Johan Nziemi, both of whom were solid players a season ago. The rest of their roster consists of guys who are transfers or returners who saw limited minutes. They will need to step up in order for the Lancers to be successful.
-Radford won 20 games a season ago and finished a decent 4th in the conference, but their roster is turning over and they will be replacing all five starters. They do not have too much in the way of proven D-1 experience, so it is kind of hard to say how these guys will step into their new roles.
-Winthrop had a solid season last year, but like a lot of teams at this level they lost several contributing players and have just one starter back. No one jumps out as being a proven high level contributor at the D-1 level, so it will likely be a rebuilding year for the Eagles.
-Presby is usually…well…not very good. And I do not expect them to compete for the league title this year. Overall they were a very underwhelming 11-19 last season, but they were playing better down the stretch, and with three starters back that experience alone could mean a noticeable improvement this year. Jonah Pierce is a solid post player, and they have a smattering of guys who saw quality minutes a season ago. I do not think Presby can keep pace with High Point and UNCA, but I do think they can finish in the top half of the league.
-Charleston Southern has not won more than ten games in seemingly forever, and they are not showing too many signs of coming out of that. A’lahn Sumler is a solid player for the Bucs, but almost no one else is and he cannot do it all by himself. They do have some guys coming in that put up impressive numbers at the JUCO and NAIA levels, so we may see some improvement this year, but it will still likely be another long season.
-Gardner-Webb had a rough year last year and is tasked with replacing all five starters. They have looked to the portal to try and rebuild their roster and will have to rely on several guys who have either limited or no D-1 experience at all.
-USC Upstate won just six games a year ago and was among the worst teams in all of D-1. To make matters worse, they lost their best player to the portal. They do return a few guys who saw significant minutes a year ago and that experience should help them out some, but I think it is going to be another long season.
