Most of the teams around the Pacific West Conference in men's basketball this year have revamped rosters and there isn't much that looks familiar on paper. 

What isn't new is the preseason favorite. Point Loma, who has won five of the past six PacWest regular season titles, is the overwhelming choice of the conference's coaches to make it six of seven.

The Sea Lions received 12 of the 13 possible first place votes for a poll total of 168 points. Hawai`i Hilo and Fresno Pacific are next, sharing the second slot with 128 poll points each. Chaminade (124) was a close fourth, Biola (123) was one point back in fifth and Concordia occupies the sixth spot with 105 poll points. 

Only five all-conference players from the 2024-25 All-PacWest teams are back. Fresno Pacific's Isaac Peralta was a second-team pick last winter, Hawai`i Pacific's Joshua West earned third-team honors as did Hilo's Julio Montes II. Transfer Nathan Medina (was Biola, now Chaminade) was a First Team pick in 2023-24. 

Point Loma's Tyce Paulsen is the fifth, earning third-team status. But the Sea Lions graduated a host of players from their title team, including two of the best players in the league in Zack Paulsen and Luke Haupt. Head coach Justin Downer, heading into his fourth season (50-15) has a slight rebuilding job, but he did well at that according to the PacWest's coaches.

He can start with Paulsen, who averaged 10.4 points a game last year. Jaden Matingou is a returning starter, and others with experience are Andrew Hommes, Jake Lifgren, and Luke Smith. Lifgren's experience came in 2023-24, when he led the Sea Lions in scoring with 18.1 points a game through 14 contests before missing the rest of the next two seasons with an injury. 

That group of five is the core of Downer's squad, who went 29-6 last year (18-2 PacWest) and reached the NCAA West Region final. He also reloaded with five transfers in James Nobles (Sonoma State), Andrew Nagy (Long Beach State), Caden Harris (Chico State), Jack Wistrcill (Northern Arizona), and Jude Harris (Portland). 

Fresno Pacific is one of two teams in the second place slot. Head coach CJ Haydock (10th season) returns Peralta and three other starters in Seth Brown, Harrison Pennisi, and Gabe Quiette. Peralta averaged 13.1 points per game. Overall, the Sunbirds have 11 returning players, and they also added a solid group of transfers in Nick Davidson (So., Menlo College), Amar Hot (Jr., St. Leo’s), and Logan Kilbert (Fr., Weber State). The Sunbirds were 13-15 overall last year and 10-10 in conference play. 

Hawai`i Hilo shares that second spot with the Sunbirds. The Vulcans made a run in the conference tournament last year, falling in the semifinals to champion Point Loma. They were 19-13 overall under head coach Kainela Aiona, who in five seasons has led the Vulcans to a 79-49 mark. Montes II is back with his 13.7 scoring average along with fellow starters Isaiah Hinds and Brody Davis. Aiona also added transfers Fabio Da Rocha (Parkland) and Alex Horiuk (Southern Indiana).  

Chaminade occupies the fourth slot. Head coach Eric Bovaird, in his 15th season (200-176), has seven returnees and three starters back (Roland Banks, Fletcher MacDonald, and Kent King).from a Silversword squad that went 16-11 last year. But Bovaird also has six transfers, including one of the best and most experienced players in the conference in former Biola standout Nathan Medina. The 6-foot-3 senior guard averaged 16.3 points per game in 2023-24 and was a First Team All-PacWest selection. He put up 12 points a game last year before an injury ended his season.

Speaking of Biola, they are fifth, just one poll point back of Chaminade (123). The Eagles had a big year in 2024-25, finishing in second place in the PacWest and with a 22-8 overall record and qualified for the NCAA tournament. But head coach Dave Holmquist, who has seen it all in 44 season (1080-447) has his work cut out for him this year with just one starter back in Facundo Aranda and just five returning players overall. The Eagles lost three stars in Casey Cappo, Davian Brown, Daniel Esparza and of course Medina. They hope to reload with five transfers. 

Concordia is sixth (105 poll points). Head coach Ken Ammann is in his 25th season (530-233) and qualified for the PacWest tournament last year with a 11-9 mark and they were 16-12 overall. He has just one starter back from that team in Kaden Minter and only four returnees. But Ammann signed eight transfers, including five from the JC level along with Radek Homer (Northern Colorado); Ben Krystkowiak (Corban University) and MaCarhy Morris (Lewis-Clark State)

Hawai`i Pacific checks in at seventh (97). Third-year leader Jesse Nakanishi has three starters back and nine returnees but has also added five transfers. One of those starters is Joshua West, a Third-Team All-PacWest selection who averaged 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a contest. The Sharks, who were 15-14 last year and 10-10 in PacWest play added Quentin Meza (Idaho State) and Nemanja Sarenac (Weber State)

Westmont (86) qualified for the PacWest tournament last year in their first year of eligibility, but lost most of that roster to graduation including the nation's leading scorer in Adrian McIntyre. The Warriors have a new coach in Justin Leslie, who spent the last five years at Midwestern State in Texas and was the leader at Azusa Pacific for 12 years prior to that. Leslie inherited just one returning starter in Jarrett Bryant, but brings two Midwestern State players with him--Davon Smith and Braedon Bigott. 

Vanguard (61 poll points) has ten returnees and two starters back in Bryson Metz and Aibigho (“Boogie”) Ujadughele. Head coach Rhett Soliday, in his 16th season has five transfers including brothers Erik Howlin (Biola) and Sammy Howlin (Utah Tech). Jessup (42) has seven returnees but no starters back for third-year leader Mark Darnell. The Warriors did pick up two big transfers in Andre Norris (Hawaii Hilo) and Varick Lewis (Long Beach State). Norris led the PacWest in steals last season with 2.3 per game. 

Dominican follows (40) under fourth-year leader Justin Argenal. The Penguins have three returning starters in Darius Best, Jorge Ochoa and Sargent Jeffery, and they also landed transfers Nick Medeiros (Sonoma State) and Mike Wilson (Sacramento State). Azusa Pacific, with new head coach BJ Porter is next with 38 poll points. Porter, a former Cougar player and assistant coach, has one starter back in Kaleb Taylor but also signed seven transfers. The story is similar for Menlo (37 points) with new head coach Jamison Montgomery, a former assistant with the Oaks and most recently associate head coach at Hawaii Hilo. Jamison has one starter back in Nick High but landed seven transfers.

The official tip-off of the 2025-26 season is still three weeks away, beginning the weekend of November 14-15. PacWest play will start for real on December 2-4, with all 13 teams playing for the six  positions in the conference tournament, hosted by defending champion Point Loma this year in San Diego, March 5-7.