Ryan Sanders and Roderick Smith named top newcomers, AUM men鈥檚 basketball picked sixth in GSC preseason poll
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AUM PRESS RELEASE) 鈥� Juniors Ryan Sanders and Roderick Smith were named top newcomers, while the Auburn Montgomery men’s basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the East Division in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Poll announced on Thursday (Dec. 3).
Sanders (St. Louis, Mo.) spent his 2019-20 season at Enterprise State Community College in Enterprise, Ala. The junior guard was named to the All-Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) South Team last season, averaging 13.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Smith (Crystal Springs, Miss.) played his sophomore season at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., where he tallied 68 points and 37 rebounds in 20 games for the Leathernecks. The junior postman averaged 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 22 games as a freshman at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Miss in 2018-19.
Valdosta State took home first-place honors in the eastern division poll, garnering five first-place votes. Lee University came in at second with a pair of first-place votes. A full list of both the east and west preseason polls can be found below.
The AUM men’s basketball team will tip-off their 2020-21 season on Saturday, Dec. 12 at Shorter University in Rome, Ga. The Warhawks will host West Georgia in their home opener on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 6:00 p.m. from the AUM Athletics Complex.
For the 2020-21 academic year, the GSC will utilize divisional play in basketball. The schedule will feature a combination of single-game matchups and two-game series against the same opponents on consecutive days at the same location. The format is intended to streamline testing protocols and reduce travel costs.
Additionally, the conference will implement a mirrored schedule, with the men and women playing at opposite sites, eliminating all doubleheaders.
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2020 MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL – EAST
School Total Points
1. Valdosta State (5) 35
2. Lee (2) 32
3. Montevallo 21
4. West Florida 20
5. West Georgia 19
6. Auburn Montgomery 14
7. Shorter 6
2020 MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL – WEST
School Total Points
1. Alabama Huntsville (5) 25
2. Union (1) 20
3. Delta State 15
4. West Alabama 12
5. Mississippi College 10
6. Christian Brothers 8
NOTES: The head coaches voted in the preseason poll for their own divisions. Teams from the East received six points for a first-place vote, five for a second-place vote, etc., while teams from the West received five points for a first-place vote, four for a second-place vote, etc. The head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Number of first-place votes in parenthesis.
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