Men's Basketball 10/26/2022 8:45:00 AM

Men’s Basketball Ties For Sixth in Big South Preseason Poll

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The 2022-23 Big South Men's Basketball Preseason Poll results were revealed on Wednesday morning with the conference's coaches projecting the Radford men's basketball team in a tie for sixth place.

The Highlanders garnered 88 points to match longtime rival Campbell for the sixth spot, while a mere three points separate the fifth-place team (High Point, 89 points) and the eighth-place team (USC Upstate, 86 points).

In-state counterpart Longwood was selected as the preseason favorite, earning 16 of the possible 20 first-place votes to finish with 195 points.

Radford, Va. native and Radford High School Hall of Famer Darris Nichols enters his second season as the program's head coach after going 7-9 in Big South play a year ago. He returns his entire coaching staff, including his older brother and fellow Radford native Shane Nichols.

The Highlanders added a plethora of high-end talent to the roster for the 2022-23 campaign, including former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American Bryan Antoine, who transferred from national power Villanova.

DaQuan Smith (Murray State), Onyebuchi Ezeakudo (Pittsburgh), Souleymane Koureissi (Richmond) and Madiaw Niang (Florida Atlantic) all transferred into the Radford program as well, giving the new-look squad a wealth of experience at the top levels of college basketball.

Standouts from last year's team, Josiah Jeffers and Shaquan Jules, both return to bolster this year's squad, as well as up-and-comer Derrick Jones, Jr.

2022-23 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Rk	Team (First-Place Votes)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Points
1.	Longwood (16)	16	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	195
2.	Winthrop (1)	1	10	7	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	170
3.	UNC Asheville (2)	2	6	7	2	2	-	-	-	-	-	159
4.	Gardner-Webb	-	1	2	11	4	2	-	-	-	-	136
5.	High Point	-	-	-	1	4	5	-	-	-	-	89
T-6.	Campbell (1)	1	-	1	2	1	6	2	2	1	4	88
T-6.	Radford	-	-	1	-	6	3	3	4	2	1	88
8.	USC Upstate	-	-	1	1	1	4	8	3	2	-	86
9.	Presbyterian	-	-	-	-	2	-	1	4	8	5	49
10.	Charleston Southern	-	-	-	1	-	-	2	1	6	10	40

2022-23 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
First Team
Drew Pember, UNC Asheville (Preseason Player of the Year)
Isaiah Wilkins, Longwood
Jordan Gainey, USC Upstate
Zack Austin, High Point
Cory Hightower, Winthrop

Second Team
DeShaun Wade, Longwood
Tajion Jones, UNC Asheville
Winston Hill, Presbyterian College
Kareem Reid, Gardner-Webb
Ricky Clemons, Campbell

Purchase Season Tickets
Season tickets and single-game tickets for the 2022-23 Radford men's basketball season are on sale now! To order tickets today, visit radfordtickets.com or call (540) 831-7889 during normal business hours.

Follow Men's Basketball on Social Media
For more information on the Radford men's basketball team, follow @RadfordHoops on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Josiah Jeffers: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#13 Shaquan Jules: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#1 DaQuan Smith: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

#15 Madiaw Niang: F; 6' 10"; Graduate Student

#5 Souleymane Koureissi: F; 6' 10"; Graduate Student

#12 Onyebuchi Ezeakudo: G; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

#14 Bryan Antoine: G; 6' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#2 Josiah Jeffers
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#13 Shaquan Jules
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#1 DaQuan Smith
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#15 Madiaw Niang
: 6' 10"; Graduate Student
: F

#5 Souleymane Koureissi
: 6' 10"; Graduate Student
: F

#12 Onyebuchi Ezeakudo
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: G

#14 Bryan Antoine
: 6' 5"; Junior
: G

Radford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned