BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the American Southwest Conference after a vote by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, released Thursday.
UMHB finished second in the poll with 146 points and seven first-place votes. The Cru went 23-6 last season with a 16-2 mark in ASC action. East Texas Baptist was picked to repeat as ASC champions after going 24-6 last season with a 14-4 mark in league play. Hardin-Simmons finished third with 119 points, followed by UT Dallas in fourth with 108 points. LeTourneau finished fifth with 81 points, followed by Concordia Texas (70 points) and McMurry (60 points). University of the Ozarks finished the poll in eighth with 48 points, followed by Howard Payne with 24 points.
Sul Ross State University will also compete in the American Southwest Conference this season but is ineligible for ASC and NCAA Championships as they reapply to Division II. The Lobos will play all ASC opponents but those contests will not go toward conference standings.
Payton Brooks,
Josiah Johnson and
Kyle Wright were all named to the ASC Preseason Players to Watch List. Brooks, a junior from Abilene, played in 26 games last season with 120 points. He added 25 rebounds, 16 assists and 12 total steals. Johnson, a senior from Big Sandy, was a two-time All-America selection last season. He was also a Josten's Trophy Finalist and made the Bevo Francis Top 25 List. Johnson was the ASC Player of the Year, All-Defensive Team and First Team All-ASC. He averaged 20.9 points per game with 606 total points, 78 assists and 88 steals. Wright, a senior from Texarkana, was also named All-Defensive Team. He started in 29 games with 197 points, 91 rebounds, 89 assists and 62 steals.
UMHB opens the 2023-24 season at the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational November 10
th – 11
th in Bloomington, Ill.
ASC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
| No. |
Team (First-place votes) |
Pts. |
2022-23 Record (ASC) |
| 1. |
East Texas Baptist (11) |
154 |
24-6 (14-4) |
| 2. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor (7) |
146 |
23-6 (16-2) |
| 3. |
Hardin-Simmons |
119 |
19-9 (12-6) |
| 4. |
UT Dallas |
108 |
20-6 (15-3) |
| 5. |
LeTourneau |
81 |
12-14 (9-9) |
| 6. |
Concordia Texas |
70 |
13-12 (10-8) |
| 7. |
McMurry |
60 |
7-18 (6-12) |
| 8. |
Ozarks |
48 |
8-17 (3-15) |
| 9. |
Howard Payne |
24 |
3-22 (1-17) |
| $ - |
Sul Ross State |
- |
7-18 (4-14) |
$ – Ineligible for ASC and NCAA Championships
ASC Men's Basketball Preseason Watch List
| Name |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| DJ Pigford |
G |
Jr. |
Concordia Texas |
Grand Prairie, Texas |
| Dylan Scales |
G |
Sr. |
Concordia Texas |
Houston, Texas |
| Donovan Stafford * |
F |
Jr. |
Concordia Texas |
Glenn Heights, Texas |
| Ryan Elzy |
G |
Jr. |
East Texas Baptist |
Hammond, La. |
| Darry Moore * |
F |
Sr. |
East Texas Baptist |
Tyler, Texas |
| Jayden Williams |
G |
Sr. |
East Texas Baptist |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| Will Bartoszek * |
F |
Sr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Rockwall, Texas |
| Austin Brewer * |
G |
Sr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Stamford, Texas |
| Myles Brown |
G |
Sr. |
Howard Payne |
Houston, Texas |
| Ben Phillip |
G |
So. |
Howard Payne |
Boerne, Texas |
| Armonie Ramey R |
G |
So. |
Howard Payne |
Dallas, Texas |
| Walker Baine |
F |
Sr. |
LeTourneau |
Kingwood, Texas |
| Deonte Jackson * |
G |
Sr. |
LeTourneau |
Nacogdoches, Texas |
| Caedmon Liebengood |
F |
Jr. |
LeTourneau |
Longview, Texas |
| Payton Brooks |
G |
Jr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Abilene, Texas |
| Josiah Johnson *Y D |
G |
Sr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Big Sandy, Texas |
| Kyle Wright D |
G |
Sr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Texarkana, Texas |
| Elias Garcia * |
F |
Sr. |
McMurry |
Houston, Texas |
| CJ LeBlanc * |
G |
Sr. |
McMurry |
Dallas, Texas |
| Tim Eldridge |
G |
Sr. |
Ozarks |
Spring, Texas |
| Josh Ukpe * |
G |
Sr. |
Ozarks |
Bonham, Texas |
| Tylan Jackson |
G |
Jr. |
Ozarks |
Friendswood, Texas |
| Nick Donnelly |
G |
Jr. |
UT Dallas |
Flower Mound, Texas |
| Luke Kiser * |
G |
Jr. |
UT Dallas |
Burnet, Texas |
| Donovan Souter |
G |
Sr. |
UT Dallas |
Frisco, Texas |
2022-23 All-ASC Selection *
2022-23 ASC Player of the Year Y
2022-23 ASC All-Freshman Team R
2022-23 ASC All-Defensive Team D
