Returning three starters from the 2012-13 squad, including two of the top three scorers as well as the top two rebounders, the Seattle University men’s basketball team was voted by the coaches in the Western Athletic Conference to finish second in the league, as revealed in the preseason poll released by the conference office Tuesday in advance of the WAC Basketball Preview at the Orleans Arena.
New Mexico State, the two-time defending WAC Tournament champion, was overwhelmingly chosen as the favorite to win the league this season, receiving all eight possible first-place votes for a total of 64 points. The Redhawks picked up the other available first-place vote on their way to collecting 45 points for second place.
WAC newcomer Bakersfield finished third in the preseason coaches’ poll with 42 points, followed closely by Idaho and Utah Valley in a tie for fourth place with 40 points each. Chicago State, coming off the Great West Conference Tournament title, finished sixth with 34 points, followed by Texas-Pan American (22 points), Grand Canyon (19 points), and Kansas City (17 points).
Senior Clarence Trent (Tacoma, Wash.) was voted Second Team All-Preseason WAC by the coaches after leading the Redhawks in scoring last season and finishing second in rebounding with 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Daniel Mullings of New Mexico State, a second team All-WAC selection last season with 13.8 points per game, was voted Preseason Player of the Year.
New Mexico State was also the unanimous choice to win the conference by the media, receiving all 24 first-place votes cast by those who cover one of the WAC basketball teams. Idaho finished second in the media poll with 150 points, followed by Bakersfield in third place with 138 points, Utah Valley in fourth place with 127 points, and Seattle U in fifth place with 119 points. Chicago State (94 points) and Texas-Pan American (92 points) finished in the same spots in both polls, while Kansas City (79 points) finished ahead of Grand Canyon (66 points) in the media poll.
Mullings was also named Preseason WAC Player of the Year by the media members. In fact, both the media and the coaches ended up with the exact same preseason All-WAC first team, with Mullings being joined by Aggie teammate Sim Bhullar, Ben Aird of Utah Valley, Brandon Barnes of Bakersfield, and Stephen Madison of Idaho.
Seattle University head men’s basketball coach Cameron Dollar is scheduled to appear on WACSports.com at 1:30 p.m. PDT Tuesday for a live 10-minute interview as part of the WAC Basketball Preview. Fans can still submit questions for Dollar’s session by sending an e-mail to wac@wac.org.
The Seattle University men’s basketball team will be participating in Midnight Madness this Friday, Oct. 18, starting at 10 p.m. at the Connolly Center. The Redhawks open the 2013-14 season with the crosstown rivalry game against Washington Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena, followed by the Elgin Baylor Classic against Cal State Fullerton to open the home season at KeyArena at Seattle Center Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m.