BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:
- Montana State
- Northern Colorado
- Eastern Washington
- Montana (tied 4th)
- Portland State (tied 4th)
- Idaho
- Utah Tech
- Weber State
- Idaho State
- Southern Utah
- Northern Arizona
BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:
- Montana State
- Northern Colorado
- Eastern Washington
- Montana
- Portland State
- Idaho
- Utah Tech
- Weber State
- Idaho State
- Southern Utah
- Northern Arizona
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG SKY TEAM:
-Langston Reynolds – Northern Colorado
-Jed Miller – Montana State
-Ethan Potter – Utah Tech
-Andrew Cook – Eastern Washington
-Alton Hamilton IV – Eastern Washington
-Jaiden Feroah – Southern Utah
-Koren Johnson – Portland State
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Montana State is the consensus preseason favorite, and with Jed Miller returning at PG it is easy to understand why. As of now he can play a 5th year due to a court injunction: he averaged just under 15ppg last year and was a great outside shooter. Christian King and Jeremiah Davis were also key pieces last year that return to the team. I like this Bobcats team this year and think they can win the league, but I do not think they will just run away with it.
-Northern Colorado had a train wreck of a season last year, so it is kind of surprising to see them this high in the preseason poll. Langston Reynolds was a big pick up from Minnesota, but other than him….I am just not seeing it. 2nd seems really high to me, but both the media and the coaches voted them that high, so what do I know?
-Eastern Washington’s first half of the season was a nightmare last year, but they had a fantastic finish, winning nine straight before losing their regular season finale and then losing in the semis of the conference tournament. With their top player returning in Alton Hamilton IV, as well as two solid transfers who were double-digit scorers a year ago in Tavi Jackson and Jalen Griffith, I like their roster this year and think they can contend for the league title.
-Montana had a streaky season last year. It ended on a hot streak as they advanced to the Big Sky Championship game, but fell just short of winning the auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament. They do return two starters including Tyler Thompson, who was a fantastic outside shooter last year. They also add some guys who put up dominant numbers at non-D-1 schools, so the Grizz once again have some solid pieces.
-Portland State was last year’s 1st-place team! But…they lost virtually all their key players from that team and Coach Jase Cobum is having to start over. The roster consists of several guys who were standout players at non-D-1 schools, so if they can come together and compete at this level the Vikings might once again have a formidable team.
-Idaho was a modest 9-9 in conference play last year, but then went on to win the Big Sky Tournament, which got them to 21 total wins, and advanced to the NCAAs. Unfortunately none of the starters are back and Coach Alex Pribble has had to rebuild the roster. Kristian Gonzalez does return after coming off the bench last year and averaging in double-figures and he will be joined by some standout JUCO players.
-Utah Tech won 19 games last year, which was their highest win total in quite some time, but most of their contributors from last year have moved on. They are new to the Big Sky this year after being long-time members of the now-defunct WAC. Ethan Potter was their top player and he is back, but the rest of the roster seems to be lacking in D-1 experience/production.
-Weber State, who was once a constant Big Sky frontrunner, has struggled the last two years and after a modest 16-16 season last year they lost all five of their starters. Kaleb Canales takes over as coach and he will have to try and make do with a roster that does not have much in the way of D-1 experience/production.
-Idaho State is another team that struggled last year and failed to retain any key players. They have a few guys who were highly productive at the D-2 level and will be relying on them to step up and contribute against D-1 competition this year.
-Southern Utah is another program that comes over from the WAC. They struggled last season and the expectations are that while the conference has changed, the struggles will likely remain the same. Jaiden Feroah is a player to watch who averaged over 13ppg and was over 40 percent from beyond the arc. He will be joined by several guys who put up impressive numbers at non-D-1 schools, but who can still likely contribute. I do not expect to see Southern Utah at the top of the standings, but I do not think they will be quite this close to the bottom either.
-Northern Arizona won just 10 games last season and was a mere 4-14 in conference play. They do return a couple of starters but it appears to be a JUCO-transfer-heavy team.
