After storming through the field in its first season back in the league a season ago, Jacksonville State has been tabbed third in the ASUN Conference preseason polls for 2022-23.
The reigning conference champs rightfully have much to prove heading into its final year in the ASUN. The Gamecocks lost all five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, and return just a handful of players that saw action for the Red and White a season ago.
Senior Demaree King, the nation’s best three-point shooter off the Gamecocks bench last year, headlines the returning lineup, along with a healthy Maros Zeliznak and forwards Juwan Perdue and Marcellus Brigham Jr. JSU gains back the talents of Amanze Ngumezi, who missed last season with an injury, and add Penn State transfer DJ Gordon, who joined the squad last season, but sat out for transfer rules.
Gordon begins a list of eight newcomers that include true freshman Travis Roberts of Waldorf, Md., and transfer portal pickups from Georgia (Cam McDowell), Wichita State (Clarence “Monzy” Jackson), Morhead State (Skyelar Potter), Vanderbilt (Peyton Daniels) and more.
The uncertainty around Jax State’s lineup left the Gamecocks without a single preseason all-conference selection. However, with Ray Harper at the helm, the league and its followers still respected the Gamecocks enough to tab them at third in both in the Coaches and Media preseason polls behind Liberty and Jacksonville.
If history were any indication of good fortunes, Jax State was penciled in at third a season ago in the Coaches Poll behind Liberty and Eastern Kentucky. JSU of course finished 13-3 in league play to win the regular-season crown outright.
2022-23 Preseason MBB Coaches Poll
Place Team (1st-Place Votes) Points
1. Liberty (10) 192
2. Jacksonville (3) 171
3. Jacksonville State 148
4. FGCU 136
5. North Florida (1) 127
6. Lipscomb 116
6. Bellarmine 116
8. Kennesaw State 108
9. Austin Peay 88
10. Eastern Kentucky 87
11. Central Arkansas 52
12. Stetson 50
13. Queens 42
14. North Alabama 37
2022-23 Preseason MBB Media Poll
Place Team (1st-Place Votes) Points
1. Liberty (20) 402
2. Jacksonville (8) 365
3. Jacksonville State 335
4. FGCU 331
5. Bellarmine 270
6. Kennesaw State 244
7. North Florida 207
8. Lipscomb (1) 202
9. Austin Peay (1) 189
10. Eastern Kentucky 186
11. Central Arkansas 159
12. North Alabama 101
13. Stetson 89
14. Queens 70
Original source can be found here.
