2017 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM

2017 PacWest Men’s Basketball Poll
1.	California Baptist (10)	178
2.	Dixie State (2)	169
3.	Point Loma (2)	161
4.	Concordia	154
5.	Azusa Pacific	142
6.	Chaminade	132
7.	Hawai`i Pacific	121
8.	Dominican	94
9.	Biola	79
10.	Hawai`i Hilo	72
11.	Fresno Pacific	63
12.	Holy Names	43
13.	Academy of Art	37
14.	Notre Dame de Namur	25
First-place votes in parenthesis

IRVINE, Calif. – For the fourth year in a row, California Baptist has been selected by the PacWest coaches as the preseason favorite in men’s basketball, and Kalidou Diouf was  picked as the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year.
 
The Lancers are looking for their first PacWest title since the 2013-14 season after finishing a game behind Hawai`i Pacific in the standings last season. Three starters are returning for the Lancers, including Diouf, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last year. He’ll be joined in the front court by Jason Todd, who had 6.8 rebounds per game. Jordan Heading made a team-high 68 three-point field goals and averaged 12.3 points per game as the Lancers went 26-5 with a trip to the regional semifinals.
 
Dixie State was picked second in the preseason poll with two first-place votes and Trevor Hill was named to the Preseason All-PacWest team. Hill led the Trailblazers last season in points (403), rebounds (195), assists (135) and steals (41). Dixie State went 19-9 last season, including an 11-1 record on its home court to earn a trip to the NCAA West Regional tournament.
 
The After making a run to the PacWest Championship game last year, Point Loma is picked third with two first-place votes in the preseason poll. Josh Rodriguez was named to the Preseason All-PacWest team after leading the league in assists last year with 5.7 per game. Point Loma is looking for its first PacWest title after reaching the tournament in two of the last three years.
 
Concordia is picked fourth in the preseason poll as the Eagles enter their first year of NCAA postseason eligibility. In their first two years in the league, the Eagles have gone a combined 28-12. JT Roach was named to the Preseason All-PacWest team. In the 2015-16 season, Roach averaged 16.7 points per game off the bench with a .435 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
 
Azusa Pacific reached the PacWest tournament last year after going 11-9 during conference play and is picked fifth in the preseason poll. The Cougars return senior Petar Kutlesic, who is on the Preseason All-PacWest team. Kutlesic averaged 14.9 points and 8.5 rebounds last year with 29 blocks. Azusa Pacific is looking for its third PacWest title in four years.
 
Chaminade is picked sixth in the preseason poll after going 13-7 in conference play last year. The Silverswords return Austin Pope, who is on the Preseason All-PacWest team. Pope averaged 12.1 points and 8.8 rebounds last season and is the only returning starter for Chaminade.
 
Defending PacWest champions Hawai`i Pacific unloaded a lot of talent from last year’s team, which reached the West Regional semifinals. The Sharks don’t return any of last year’s starters, but they did add three transfers from NCAA Division I programs.
 
With the leading scorer among returners on its team in Preseason All-PacWest selection Jeremiah Gray, Dominican is picked eighth in the preseason poll. Gray averaged 16.8 points per game for the Penguins, which finished the season two games away from a spot in the PacWest Championships.
 
Biola, in its first year in the PacWest, is picked ninth in the preseason poll followed by Hawai’i Hilo. Fresno Pacific is picked 11th and Holy Names is 12th. Academy of Art and Notre Dame de Namur round out the poll, picked 13th and 14th, respectively.
 
The season begins on November 3 with Point Loma and Concordia competing in the Disney Tip-Off Classic. The season will begin for the rest of the PacWest on November 10 with a number of key matchups. Concordia will play the West Region’s defending champion Chico State, while Azusa Pacific plays CCAA Champion UC San Diego. Notre Dame de Namur will play on the road against GNAC Champion Western Washington and Hawai`i Pacific will open the season in Alaska to face Alaska Anchorage.