Warriors picked No. 2 in Big West Preseason Poll; Coleman named to Preseason Team
The University of Hawaii was picked to finish 2nd in the Big West Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, which was announced on Wednesday.
It is the highest preseason poll position for the Rainbow Warriors since they joined the Big West in the 2012-13 season. The highest previous prediction was 3rd in 2015.
Last season, the Rainbow Warriors finished 17-11 overall and in third place in the final Big West standings at 10-5. Ten players return from last season, including starters Noel Coleman, Bernardo da Silva and Kamaka Hepa. In addition, two seniors – Samuta Avea and Juan Munoz – are expected to be key contributors this season after sitting out all of last season due to injuries.
UC Santa Barbara received nine of the 11 first-place votes to garner the top spot for the preseason poll. The Gauchos finished with 99 points. Hawai’i received one first-place vote and 86 points. Long Beach State received one first-place vote and finished 3rd with 84 points.
In addition to the preseason poll, six individual players were named to the Big West Preseason Coaches Team.
Coleman, a junior guard for the Warriors, was named to the team.
Here are the results:
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. UC Santa Barbara, 99 points (9 first place votes)
2. Hawai’i, 86 (1)
3. Long Beach State, 84 (1)
4. UC Irvine, 73
5. UC Riverside, 56
6. UC Davis, 54
7. Cal State Fullerton, 51
8. CSU Bakersfield, 32
9. Cal Poly, 29
10. UC San Diego, 23
11. CSUN, 18
Preseason Coaches Team
Noel Coleman, Hawai’i, Junior, Guard
Andre Kelly, UC Santa Barbara, Senior, Forward
Ajay Mitchell, UC Santa Barbara, Sophomore, Guard
Joel Murray, Long Beach State, Senior, Guard
Elijah Pepper, UC Davis, Junior, Guard
Zyon Pullin, UC Riverside, Senior, Guard
