MAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:
- Akron
- Miami OH
- Kent State
- Ohio U
- UMass
- Toledo
- Bowling Green
- Ball State
- Eastern Michigan
- Western Michigan
- Buffalo
- Central Michigan
- Northern Illinois
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 1ST TEAM:
-Tavari Johnson – SR, G – Akron
-Javontae Campbell – SR, G – Bowling Green
-Delrecco Gillespie – SR, F – Kent State
-Peter Suder – SR, G – Miami OH
-Jackson Paveletzke – SR, G – Ohio U
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 2ND TEAM:
-Evan Mahaffey – SR, F – Akron
-Shammah Scott – SR, G – Akron
-Daniel Hankins-Sanford – SR, F – UMass
-Eian Elmer – JR, F – Miami OH
-Javan Simmons – JR, F – Ohio U
-Sonny Wilson – JR, G – Toledo
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Akron blew through this league last season losing just one conference game, then won the MAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Expectations are once again high despite just one starter being back. The good news is that the Zips went deep into their bench last season, so while only one key starter is returning, lots of guys who saw significant minutes are back and can step into bigger roles this year. They also have some promising freshmen along with a smattering of transfers who come in from bigger programs presumably in search of more playing time.
-Travis Steele has done a phenomenal job since taking over at Miami OH and last year they won an amazing 25 total games and finished 2nd in the conference. Expectations are high again this year, and I think the Redhawks are good enough to win the league. Three starters return and that experience alone is reason to be optimistic. Peter Suder is a solid all-around player who can score from anywhere on the court, Eian Elmer is a very good outside shooter who can put up some points as well, and Brant Byers returns after a very solid year as a freshman. I like this Miami OH team. I like them enough to pick them to win the conference.
-Kent State really caught fire in the second half of conference play last year, winning 9 of 11 before losing in the MAC semifinals. It was enough to earn them an NIT bid where they managed to get as far as the quarterfinals. This year they are faced with a bit of a rebuild and it is hard to say who their go-to players are going to be.
-Ohio U felt like they should have been better last year than what they were. They won just 16 games, and I thought they had the potential to be better. Perhaps I overvalued them…and perhaps I am doing the same thing again this year. I really like Jeff Boals as a coach and I think they have a really balanced group of players, particularly Jackson Paveletzke and Aidan Hadaway. Javan Simmons also joins the roster after having a good season at Toledo a year ago. This is a fun team to watch and I think they can surprise some people this year.
-It is going to take a while to get used to UMass being in the MAC. They joined primarily for football reasons and many felt (including me) that it did not make a whole lot of sense for basketball, but here they are. When UMass hired Frank Haith, err Frank Martin, I really thought he would get them going and make them nationally relevant. That simply has not happened in the three years he has been there. They won just 12 total games last season and were so far from the NCAA Tournament that they could not see it with a telescope. They have finished outside the top-200 of the NET in two of the last three years. I admit to being surprised that they have not been better. Will this move help them win more games and build up their program? They do not have much in the way of D-1 experience. They have turned to guys from lower divisions who put up big numbers to join the roster and contribute right away. They also have some freshmen that may have some potential. I like Frank Haith, ERR, Frank Martin. I still believe he can rebuild UMass. But, this is sort of a pivotal season for them. They need to show at least some signs of improvement. (Note from Stalica: I am going to frame this preview for the HoopsHD break room. Only Griggs could mix up Angry Frank and Frank Haith in the same breath.)
-Toledo has just one starter back from last year, but Sonny Wilson is a solid player who averaged just under 16ppg and can hit from the outside. The problem is he cannot do it all himself. They have turned to a couple of standout JUCO players and some talented freshmen to try and fill out the roster.
-Bowling Green just cannot ever seem to get it going and keep it going. They have finished outside the top-280 of the NET in three of the past four years and won just 14 games last season. Just one starter returns, so it once again feels like the Falcons are back to square one. They were plagued with injuries last year so if they can stay healthy we should see some improvement, but other than that it will be a struggle for them to finish in the top half of the standings.
-Ball State is another team that just cannot seem to build up any consistent success. They are tasked with replacing all five starters from a team that finished 9th in the standings last year and missed the conference tournament. They do have some notable transfers who averaged double figures a season ago in Armoni Zeigler (Saint Peter’s), Juwan Maxey (Youngstown State), and Devon Barnes (UTEP), so they have some pieces to work with. Hopefully for the Cardinals that results in more wins this year.
-Eastern Michigan did not have a great season last year, but the 16 wins was the most they have had in quite some time. The problem is all five starters are gone and it feels like they have been sent back to square one. Stan Heath is a proven head coach, and he has made some progress, but it is just so hard to build from year to year at this level now. Addison Patterson put up good numbers at Northwestern State last year, Mak Manciel averaged double-figures at Detroit Mercy, and Mehki Ellison was a standout player at Stetson, so they do have a few pieces to work with. Will they be able to keep pushing forward?
-Western Michigan was abysmal for most of last season, but was actually showing signs of life toward the end. They won five of their last seven games before losing in the MAC Tournament and beat a very good Miami OH team during that stretch. The problem is that not much of that is being carried over into this year. Just one starter is back, and while they should get some help from Justice Williams and Jayden Brewer who both averaged double-figures at Under the Radar programs a year ago, and they do have some freshmen and lower division transfers coming in that may have some promise, this still feels like an uphill climb for the Broncos.
-Buffalo has just been utterly miserable for the last two years, and things may not be a whole lot better this year. Ryan Sabol is a really solid player, but he cannot do it alone and he does not appear to have much in the way of help.
-Andy Bronkema takes over as head coach at Central Michigan and he appears to have his work cut out for him. He is tasked with replacing all five starters from a year ago and seems to be looking primarily toward players from lower divisions.
-Northern Illinois was among the worst teams in all of D-1 last year and expectations are not high this year. They appear to be turning to some international players to try and get things jump-started.
