BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:
- Montana State
- Northern Colorado
- Eastern Washington
- Montana
- 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’s easy to understand why. As of now he can play a 5th year due to a court injunction and he averaged just under 15ppg last year and was a great outside shooter. Christian King and Jeremai 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 don’t think they’ll just run away with it.
-Northern Colorado had a train wreck of a season last year, so it’s kind of surprising to see them this high in the preseason poll. Langston Reyonlds was a big pick up from Minnesota, but other than him….I’m 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, 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 that put up dominant numbers at nonD1 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 Head Coach Jase Cobum is having to start over. The roster consists of several guys that were standout players at nonD1 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 Head 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’ll 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 D1 experience and 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’ve lost all five of their starters. Kaleb Canales takes over as head coach and he will have to try and make due with a roster that doesn’t have much in the way of D1 experience or production.
-Idaho State is another team that struggled last year and failed to retain any key players. They have a few guys that were highly productive at the D2 level and will be relying on them to step up and contribute against D1 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’ll be joined by several guys who put up impressive numbers at nonD1 schools, but who can still likely contribute. I don’t expect to see Southern Utah at the top of the standings, but I don’t think they’ll 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.
