ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University men's basketball team is picked to finish third in the South Atlantic Conference with the release of the league's preseason coaches' poll.
Tusculum junior forward Inady Legiste has been named to the Preseason All-SAC third team as selected by the league's media relations directors.
The Pioneers received 116 total points and are tied for third in a vote by the conference's 13 head coaches. Tusculum returns 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 19-8 squad which finished third in the conference for a second straight season.
Lincoln Memorial is the favorite to win the title this season as the Railsplitters received 143 points including 11 first place votes. Wingate is second with 121 points and one first place vote. Tusculum and Carson-Newman are tied for third with 116 points each. Newberry is fifth with 105, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne (84), Catawba (82), Anderson (65 – one 1st place vote), Limestone (65), Coker (35), Mars Hill (35), UVA Wise (24) and SAC newcomer Emory & Henry (23).
Legiste, a 6-7, 235-pound junior from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, earned All-SAC third team honors last season while leading the Pioneers in blocked shots, averaging 1.4 per game (3rd in SAC). He played in 27 games off the bench where he averaged 9.9 points and shot 57.3 percent from the floor (5th in SAC), including 14-of-29 from three-point territory (48.3%). Legiste also grabbed 4.1 rebounds per contest and tallied nine games in double-figure scoring.
He has totaled 449 points and 222 rebounds in his 47-game career with the Pioneers. His 63 career blocked shots are the sixth-most in TU history and has a .547 career field goal percentage including 22-of-53 from three-point land (41.5%).
Tusculum has two exhibition games on its schedule over the next week with Indiana State (Nov. 1) and Tennessee Wesleyan (Nov. 7). The Pioneers will open the regular season Nov. 11-12 when they host the SAC / Peach Belt Conference Challenge at Pioneer Arena. Tusculum and LMU will represent the SAC while USC Aiken and Clayton State will be the Peach Belt representatives.
SAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll
|
Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
|
1 |
Lincoln Memorial (11) |
143 |
|
2 |
Wingate (1) |
121 |
|
T3 |
TUSCULUM |
116 |
|
T3 |
Carson-Newman |
116 |
|
5 |
Newberry |
105 |
|
6 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
84 |
|
7 |
Catawba |
82 |
|
T8 |
Anderson (1) |
65 |
|
T8 |
Limestone |
65 |
|
T10 |
Coker |
35 |
|
T10 |
Mars Hill |
35 |
|
12 |
UVA Wise |
24 |
|
13 |
Emory & Henry |
23 |
2022-23 SAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference
First Team
Jarren Cottingham, Wingate
Chase Rankin, Lincoln Memorial
Jordan Guest, Lincoln Memorial
Mekell Burries, Lincoln Memorial
Ben Gahlert, Limestone
TJ Nesmith, Lenoir-Rhyne
Second Team
TJ Brown, Newberry
Luke Brenegan, Carson-Newman
Kadyn Dawkins, Mars Hill
Donell Nixon II, Wingate
Quandaveon McCollum, Newberry
Bryant Thomas, Carson-Newman
Third Team
Sean Elmore, Wingate
Inady Legiste, Tusculum
Kris Robinson, Catawba
Andreas Wilson, Wingate
Gabe Brown, Emory & Henry
Joel Pettiford, UVA Wise
