Tigers land at No. 5 in GAC men's basketball poll

The Great American Conference announced on Thursday the results of its 2023-24 GAC men’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll, and East Central University was selected for a fifth-place finish. Southeastern received nine first-place votes from the league’s head coaches to enter the season as the favorite.

“It is finally that time of year,” ECU head men’s basketball coach Daniel Wheeler said. “Preseason polls are what they are. It is what our peers think of us. I really like this team. We have a lot of work to do to ultimately accomplish what we want, but I believe this group of young men can do it.”

Last season, ECU men’s basketball posted an 18-11 overall record and 13-9 in the GAC under the guidance of Wheeler, who was in his first year. It was a seven-win improvement from the 2021-22 season. The Tigers entered the GAC Championships as the No. 4 seed and had five players honored with All-GAC recognition.

The Tigers will have a new look this year as the team welcomes 11 new additions to the 2023-24 roster.

Key returners from last year’s squad include Godsgift Ezedinma and All-GAC Selection Keyon Thomas

Thomas led the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game. He shot 50.4 percent from the floor and 41.0 percent from the three-point arc. For his efforts during the 2022-23 season, Thomas was named to the All-GAC Honorable Mention Team in his debut season with the Tigers.

Ezedinma, who will be entering his second year with the Tigers, played a crucial role in helping the team clinch the No. 4 seed in the postseason tournament. He saw action in all 29 games, averaging 25 minutes per contest, and returns as the team’s leading rebounder and shot blocker with 130 rebounds and 11 blocks.

The East Central University men’s basketball team will kick off the 2023-24 season at the Oklahoma Baptist University Classic in Shawnee, Oklahoma Nov. 10-11. The Tigers will face the University of Minnesota Crookston on Friday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. and the University of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m.

Southeastern is the favoriteSoutheastern Oklahoma State received nine first-place votes from the league’s head coaches to enter the season as the favorite.

The Savage Storm posted an 18-10 record in 2022-23. They averaged 85.1 points per game, the 12th-best mark in Division II. Southeastern returns a pair of All-GAC performers in First-Team honoree Jett Sternberger and Second-Team selection Brennen Burns. Last season, Sternberger ranked third in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game while Burns ranked seventh in scoring, second in assists, first in assist-to-turnover ratio, fourth in field-goal percentage and fifth in steals.

Arkansas Tech edged out Southern Arkansas by two points for second place. Each received a first-place vote. The Wonder Boys made a deep run at the GAC Championships by reaching the final for the first time since 2015. Taelon Peter, a Second-Team All-GAC pick returns for Tech after averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

The Muleriders ended the Wonder Boys’ season by defeating them in the final of the GAC Championships 89-69, for the program’s first tournament title and second NCAA Tournament bid in three seasons. Gregory Hammond, Jr. averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds to garner the league’s Newcomer of the Year Award and a spot on the All-GAC First Team.

Henderson State took fourth and collected the last remaining first-place vote. Tomislav Miholjcic shot 66.3 percent from the floor and averaged 10.6 points per game.

East Central placed fifth, two points ahead of Ouachita Baptist. At the GAC Championships, Ouachita upset top-seeded Southern Nazarene in just the second win against the No. 1 seed for the No. 8 seed in tournament history. Tylar Haynes averaged 12.9 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game. He shot 58.4 percent from the floor.

Oklahoma Baptist finished in seventh. The Bison return Ricky Brown, who averaged 10.1 points per game and Ethan Scott, who connected on 41.7 percent of his 3-point tries. Of his 139 field-goal attempts, 131 came from beyond the 3-point line.

Southern Nazarene checked in in eighth, followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas-Monticello. B.J. Foster takes over with the Crimson Storm following a six-year tenure at California State San Marcos where he won at least 18 games four times in seasons and led the Cougars to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Rangers return a pair of double-digit scorers in Brian Free and Larry White. Free earned a spot on the Honorable Mention All-GAC Team after he averaged 13.3 points and shot 39.1 percent from the 3-point line. White added 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. The Weevils feature Isaac Jackson, a 2022-23 All-GAC Second Team member. He averaged 14.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He went 41-for-92 from the 3-point stripe for a 44.6 percent average.

Southwestern Oklahoma State and Harding rounded out the poll. Each features first-year head coaches as Brett Weiberg takes over for the Bulldogs while former Bisons point guard Weston Jameson succeeds Jeff Morgan at his alma mater.

The 2024 GAC Championships take place from Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 10 at FireLake Arena in Shawnee.

Note: Eric Moyer, Associate Commissioner for GAC Communications, contributed to this report.