FULL RELEASE
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.— The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) has announced the 2018-19 Men’s Basketball Preseason Awards.
The awards were voted on by the conference’s 16 head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
In the coaches poll, Regis was selected to win the team title by getting eight first-place votes. Regis finished the 2017-18 season with 27-6 (18-4 RMAC) and won the RMAC Tournament championship for the first time in program history. The Rangers made it to the second -round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament before falling in quadruple overtime.
Colorado School of Mines earned four first place votes to be selected to finish second. They return several players to their squad from last year where they finished 22-9 (15-7 RMAC). The Orediggers reached the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament where they fell to West Texas A&M who eventually reached the Final Four.
Fort Lewis and Dixie State each garnered two first place votes to be picked third and fourth, respectively. Dixie State is new to the conference after a capturing its sixth PacWest Title in a season that saw them win 17 straight games. The Skyhawks won the RMAC regular season championship with an 18-4 conference record (24-7 overall) and were runner-up in the RMAC tournament.
MSU Denver was picked to finish fifth with 156 points. Westminster ranks sixth garnering 151 points, while UCCS and Black Hills State rounds out the top eight placing seventh and eighth, respectively.
PreseasonCoaches Poll (first-place votes)
1. Regis (8) - 216
2. Colo. Sch. of Mines (4) - 203
3. Fort Lewis (2) - 199
4. Dixie State (2) - 185
5. MSU Denver - 156
6. Westminster - 151
7. UCCS - 147
8. Black Hills State - 116
9. CSU-Pueblo - 109
10. New Mexico Highlands - 103
11. Adams State - 82
12. Western - 62
13. Colorado Mesa - 57
14. South Dakota Mines - 53
15. Chadron State - 49
16. Colorado Christian – 32
PRESEASON PLAYERS OF THE YEAR/ALL-RMAC
Regis senior Jarrett Brodbeck was named the RMAC Preseason Player of the Year. Brodbeck guided the Rangers to an RMAC Tournament title in last years campaign. He made 32 starts while appearing in all 33 games. The Yorba Linda, Calif. native broke the Rangers' program record for most three-pointers made in a season with 99. He ended the season shooting 39.3 percent from the field and averaged 2.7 rebounds per game. Brodbeck's accolades last season include being named the 2018 RMAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, Second Team All-RMAC, and 2018 NCAA South Central Region All-Tournament Team honors.
Fort Lewis senior Marquel Beasley was named the RMAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Beasley played his first season for the Skyhawks last season. The senior started all 31 games and helped Fort Lewis to an RMAC Regular-Season Championship Title. The Rock Island, Illinois native shot 57.6 percent from the field and 35 percent beyond the arch. He also averaged 6.7 rebounds per game, racking up 207 total rebounds (146 defensive) and 14.3 points per game. Beasley garnered 42 blocks and 38 steals and was named Second Team All-RMAC in 2017-18.
Eight of the ten student-athletes on the 2018-19 Preseason All-RMAC team were also 2017-18 All-RMAC First and Second Team selections. Colorado School of Mines had the most preseason picks with three student-athletes named to the preseason team.
Preseason All-RMAC Team
Jason Anderson, CSU-Pueblo
Marquel Beasley, Fort Lewis
Jarrett Brodbeck, Regis
Ben Clare, Colorado School of Mines
Michael Glen, Colorado School of Mines
Christian Little, Regis
Fraser Malcolm, Black Hills State
Connor Nichols, Colorado Mesa
Elijah Ross, UCCS
Ben Sonnefeld, Colorado School of Mines
The first men's basketball games are scheduled for Oct. 30 with conference games scheduled to start Dec. 1.
Click here to view the 2018-19 RMAC Men’s Basketball Composite Schedule.