LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In a vote by the league’s head coaches, Texas Lutheran University was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2016-17 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) men's basketball championship.
TLU picked up five first-place votes to total 46 points in the preseason polling. Last season, the Bulldogs finished 21-7 (11-3 in the SCAC) as the program earned its second-straight conference tournament title with an 80-77 victory over Colorado College in the 2016 SCAC championship final.
TLU returns all five starters from last season’s championship squad, including the 2015-16 SCAC Player-of-the-Year and D3hoops.com Preseason All-American, Sterling Holmes and well as Second Team All-SCAC selection Jordan Kouremetis. Holmes finished third in the league last season in scoring (16.5 ppg) and no active conference player has more three-pointers (200) than Kouremetis.
With a lot of familiar faces on the floor, the biggest change in Seguin this season will be in the head coaching seat. Jimmy Smith, who had led the Bulldogs to two SCAC regular-season titles, to consecutive SCAC Tournament Championships and to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, resigned to take an assistant coach position at Sam Houston State.
Taking over for Smith is long-time Texas high school head coach Mike Wacker, who coached for 26 years at Converse Judson and went 703-196 (a winning percentage of .782). He led the Rockets to 25 state playoff berths and three appearances in the UIL Boys Basketball State Championship.
Centenary College was the coaches’ second choice with 40 points. The Gents finished the 2015-16 campaign with an overall mark of 16-11 (7-7 in the SCAC) and were defeated by Texas Lutheran in the conference tournament semifinals.
Four of the five starters from last season’s SCAC semifinal game return for head coach Adam Walsh, including All-SCAC First Team selections Travion Kirkendoll and James Sapp. Kirkendoll led the league in scoring (19.6 ppg) in 2015-16, and Sapp, the 2014-15 SCAC Player-of-the-Year, posted the second-highest rebounding average in SCAC history (11.3) last season.
After finishing it a tie for second-place in the SCAC standings a season ago (10-4 SCAC; 13-13 overall), Southwestern University came in as the third choice in the preseason rankings with 36 points. The Pirates are looking to bounce back after a first-round upset knocked them out of last season’s conference tournament. Head Coach Janson Hightower welcomes four of his starters back from last season’s squad, including First-Team All-SCAC selection Ryan Ogden, who was second in the conference in scoring (17.6 ppg) a year ago, and Second-Team All-SCAC honoree Zach Whitlock (14.6 ppg).
Colorado College was the coaches' fourth choice, coming in with 32 total points in the preseason balloting. Led by 10th-year head coach Andy Partee, the Tigers made their second trip to the SCAC final in the last four seasons, and finished tied for second during the SCAC regular season with a conference mark of 10-4 (16-11 overall). CC returns two starters from last year’s title game appearance – Third Team All-SCAC honorees John Hatch (10.7 ppg) and Eric Houska (10.5 ppg).
Trinity University was just behind Colorado College in the preseason coaches' rankings with 30 points. With a 2015-16 conference mark of 6-8 (10-16 overall), the Tigers rebounded to earn the fifth seed at the 2016 SCAC Tournament after not qualifying for the event for the first time in program history a year earlier. Coach Pat Cunningham, in his 18th season as the head man at Trinity, returns three starters from last year’s squad, including Third Team All-SCAC honorees A.J. Pulliam (14.6 ppg) and Matt Jones, who led the conference in assists with 128.
Schreiner University (10-15 overall; 4-10 SCAC) was selected to finish sixth in the preseason rankings. The Mountaineers are looking for a bounce-back campaign after not qualifying for the SCAC tournament for the first time since joining the conference prior to the 2013-14 season. Second-team All-SCAC selection Wes Miller (13.8 ppg) heads four starters who return from a season ago for head coach Connor Kuykendall as he prepares for his third season at the helm of the Schreiner program.
Austin College is the coaches' seventh pick after coming off a 2015-16 campaign that saw the 'Roos jump out to a 10-0 start before finishing with an overall record of 16-11 (4-10 SCAC). Playing as the sixth seed at the 2016 SCAC Tournament, Austin College upset the third seed Southwestern to advance the semifinal round for the third time in program history. Head coach Rodney Wecker, in his 10th season leading the 'Roo program, returns three of five starters from last year’s squad including 2015-16 SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year Stephen Igbinosa.
The University of Dallas, who finished the 2015-16 season with an overall mark of 10-15 (4-10 SCAC), rounds out the coaches' preseason rankings. Ninth-year head coach Jarred Samples has all five starters back from a season ago – three of which averaged 10.0+ points per game. Michael Sarrat paced that group by averaging 12.8 points per contest.
2016-17 SCAC Predicted Order of Finish
1. Texas Lutheran University - 46 points (5)
2. Centenary College - 40 points (1)
3. Southwestern University - 36 points (1)
4. Colorado College - 32 points (1)
5. Trinity University - 30 points
6. Schreiner University - 19 points
7. Austin College - 14 points
8. University of Dallas - 8 points
(Seven points were awarded for a first-place vote, six points for a second-place, down to one point for a seventh-place vote. Coaches were not permitted to rank their own team. First-place votes in parenthesis.)
