IRVINE, Calif. – With its junior forward Kaden Anderson voted as the Preseason PacWest Player of the Year, Point Loma men’s basketball has been named the preseason favorite in the PacWest by the conference’s coaches by a narrow margin ahead of Biola.
 
The conference is set to play a full schedule this season, meaning some teams will face each other for the first time since the 2020 PacWest Championships, which Point Loma won on a buzzer-beater by Brock Mackenzie, who is on the Preseason All-PacWest Team.
 
Point Loma finished second in the SoCal Pod last year and advanced to the NCAA West Super Regional. The Sea Lions return Anderson who was voted the PacWest Player of the Year after he averaged 19.0 points and 8.1 rebounds. Most impressively though, the big man made half of his shots from beyond the arc in the shortened season.
 
In total, the Sea Lions return four of their five starters along with Ben Okhotin, who returns after missing last season. Head coach Matt Logie has also added Hugh Baxter, who was a starter for UC San Diego last season. The Australian is a 6-foot-8 stretch forward that showed his ability to score while playing for the Tritons with an average of 10.0 points per game, including a season-high 28 points.
 
Biola is just a few points behind the Sea Lions in the preseason poll after having won the decisive meeting between the two teams for the PacWest SoCal Pod title last season. The Eagles return their entire lineup as this veteran team looks to make another playoff run. Michael Bagatourian and Alex Wright were both voted onto the Preseason All-PacWest Team. The duo combines for more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their careers at Biola.
 
Azusa Pacific is in third place in the preseason poll just like how the Cougars finished in the SoCal Pod in 2021. The Cougars return three starters from last season and have added Justin Hemsley, who was the sixth man at Hawai`i last season after graduating from Damien High School.
 
Chaminade is the first team on the preseason poll from Hawai`i after finishing second in that pod last year. The Silverswords are represented on the Preseason All-PacWest Team by Isaac Amarall-Artharee, who averaged 14.3 points per game as a sophomore. They return four of their starters from last season and have added a large class of transfers, including Zach McIntyre, who helped Mercyhurst reach the NCAA Division II playoffs last year, along with NCAA Division I transfers Paris Taylor and Raazhel Watkins.
 
Hawai`i Hilo is picked fifth in the preseason poll despite having the best conference record in the PacWest last season. The Vulcans graduated a few key pieces to last year’s team, but return Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, who is on the Preseason All-PacWest Team. The freshman from Spire averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and showed his ability to get to the free throw line throughout the season. The Vulcans added Hemsley’s former teammate Kameron Ng as another important part to a young team that will have a lot of promise for years to come.
 
Concordia is picked sixth with four returning starters and an impressive class of transfers joining the team. Kobe Sanders is a transfer from MSU Denver, who shot .438 from beyond the arc last season. Fresno Pacific is picked seventh after winning the NorCal Pod last season and reaching the NCAA postseason with three returning starters.
 
Academy of Art reached the PacWest Championships the last time they were held and the Urban Knights are picked eighth as they begin their quest to return to the conference tournament. Dominican is picked ninth after losing its entire starting lineup from last season. The Penguins will have a new look this year as they take on the PacWest. Hawai`i Pacific and Holy Names wrap up the preseason poll.
 

2021-22 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM
Name	School	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown/Previous School
Isaac Amaral-Artharee	Chaminade	G	So.	Portland, Ore./Central Catholic
Kaden Anderson	Point Loma	F	Jr.	Emumclaw, Wash./Enumclaw
Michael Bagatourian	Biola	G	Sr.	Irvine, Calif./Crean Lutheran
Brock Mackenzie	Point Loma	G	Jr.	Sammamish, Wash./Eastside Catholic
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones	Hawai`i Hilo	G	So.	Wellington, New Zealand/Spire
Alex Wright	Biola	G	Jr.	Riverside, Calif./California Baptist

Preseason Player of the Year: Kaden Anderson, Point Loma