After finishing last season with a record of 14-14 (9-11 G-MAC), the head coach Drew Cooper and the Kentucky Wesleyan men’s basketball team has been picked to finish fifth in the conference by the coaches.
Wesleyan returns some key pieces from last year’s squad, as Jordan Roland (14.3 ppg, 3.1 apg), Ben Sisson (9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg), and JoMel Boyd (9.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) all come back looking to bring the Panthers back into the tournament. Antonio Thomas (7.3 ppg, 3.6 apg) comes back after showing out during the second half of last season, while Kaeveon Mitchell will be back on the court after missing most of last year due to injury. Sophomore Edward Jones Jr. looks to make a big jump after getting some quality minutes during his freshman campaign.
KWC has also added seven new players this season, with three freshman and four transfers coming in looking to make a difference.
Kentucky Wesleyan received 76 total votes in the poll, just nine behind fourth place Ashland. Reigning G-MAC champions Walsh are projected to finish first, grabbing 11 first place votes and 121 points overall.
The Panthers open their season next Wednesday when they travel to Xavier for an exhibition game. Their regular season begins on November 11 when they travel to Parkside, Wisconsin to take on UW-Parkside and Illinois-Springfield in the G-MAC/GLVC/GLIAC crossover.
2022-23 GREAT MIDWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Walsh – 11 points (11 first-place votes)
2. Findlay – 109 points (1 first-place vote)
3. Hillsdale – 94 points
4. Ashland – 87 points
5. Kentucky Wesleyan – 76 points
6. Lake Erie – 69 points
7. Cedarville – 68 points
8. Malone – 53 points
9. Tiffin – 43 points
10. Ohio Dominican – 33 points
11. Northwood – 25 points
12. Trevecca Nazarene – 14 points
