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OU MEN'S BASKETBALL HBCUAC POLL

Men's Basketball

OAKWOOD PICKED TO FINISH LAST IN HBCUAC MEN'S PRESEASON POLL

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Oakwood University men's basketball didn't need any bulletin board material entering this season, but coaches from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) certainly provided some earlier this week.
 
The Ambassadors were picked to finish last out of 13 teams in the 2024 preseason poll.
 
"Our players didn't need any motivation, but this will surely light a fire under them," Oakwood coach Simon Jacob said. "Nobody wants to be picked to finish last. This is based on how we finished last season, but our guys have been working extremely hard and we believe we'll be much improved."
 
Philander Smith is the preseason favorite to take the title. Todd Day's team amassed 140 points and four first-place votes.
 
Tougaloo College, last year's regular season champion, finished second with 129 points and four first-place votes. Talladega College was picked to finish third with 116 points and Dillard University, which fell to Philander Smith in last year's tournament championship game, was picked to finish fourth with 113 points and two first-place votes.
 
Stillman was picked to finish fifth, followed by Southern University at New Orleans, Wiley University, Rust College, Fisk University, Voorhees University, University of the Virgin Islands, Wilberforce University and Oakwood.
 
SUNO's Jamal Gibson was picked as the preseason HBCUAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year after garnering 51 votes.
 
Gibson averaged 21 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game a year ago.
 
The rest of the first team includes Philander Smith's Raymond Reece, Dillard's Tory Cargo, Tougaloo's Antonio Patterson and SUNO's Tyon Thompson.
 
The second team consisted of Jalil Langston from UVI, Wiley's Damarius Pitts, Dillard's Armond Williams, Philander Smith's Amorey Womack and Michael Ashley of Fisk.
 
HBCUAC Men's Preseason Poll
First-place votes in parentheses
  1. Philander Smith 140 (4)
  2. Tougaloo College 129 (4)
  3. Talladega College 116
  4. Dillard University 113 (2)
  5. Stillman College 110 (1)
  6. Southern University at New Orleans 97
  7. Wiley University 92 (1)
  8. Rust College 65
  9. Fisk University 62
  10. Voorhees University 51
  11. University of the Virgin Islands 40
  12. Wilberforce University 39
  13. Oakwood University 38
 
For more information on HBCUAC awards, go to 2024 Preseason Men's Basketball All-HBCUAC Teams, Team Rankings Revealed - HBCU Athletic Conference.
 
Follow the Ambassadors
Visit the official home of Oakwood University athletics at Oakwood University - Official Athletics Website.
 
 
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