INDIANAPOLIS – The league’s coaches have tabbed Walsh to finish at the top of the class with the release of the new Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour on Tuesday.
 
Exhibition action is already underway after Hillsdale played Toledo and Cedarville faced Valparaiso on Saturday. Several more games between Great Midwest schools against Division I competition will tip before the start of the regular season.
 
Walsh enters the 2019-20 season as the defending conference tournament champs, taking down Findlay in the title game. Under head coach Jeff Young, the Cavaliers proceeded to qualify for the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional and ended with a 24-8 record.
 
Great Midwest Freshman of the Year J.T. Shumate was tied for second in the league in scoring with 18.7 points per game. Another previous conference freshman of the year, Darryl Straughter, is back, and the return of defensive stalwart Sterling Christy give the Cavaliers their top three scorers in the mix once again.
 
Walsh received seven first-place votes in the balloting and 117 points overall, edging out Findlay in the close results. The Oilers secured five first-place votes and tallied 114 points after winning the regular season for the second year in a row in 2018-19.
 
The Oilers still had a more than impressive resume to make the NCAA Championship field, but for the second straight year, suffered what many perceived as an unforeseen loss in the conference tournament. A 28-5 overall record is still tough to top and Findlay will reload for another title run under two-time coach of the year Charlie Ernst.
 
No doubt, the shoes of Great Midwest Player of the Year Alex White will be tough to fill, but everyone thought the same as the program graduated current NBA G Leaguer Taren Sullivan and international pro Martyce Kimbrough.
 
With 97 points, Cedarville enters the new campaign with high expectations at No. 3 in the preseason coaches poll. The Yellow Jackets have three double-digit scorers returning, including all-conference performers Conner TenHove and Branden Maughmer.
 
Hillsdale is next in fourth with 88 points after a 19-win campaign. The Chargers were one of three conference teams to make the national tournament field in their first year as a Great Midwest member and the program has aspirations to get back to that level.
 
Just two years removed from the memorable conference tournament title run, Ohio Dominican starts a new coaching era with Kelly Winter on the sidelines. There is plenty of talent in Columbus for another run with the senior combo of Hasan Varence and Sam Hickey ready for their final go.
 
The Panthers were polled in fifth place with 80 points. Lake Erie has qualified for the conference tournament for two straight seasons and Kyle Conley’s program is looking to make that next leap after a quarterfinal defeat to end the season.
 
The Storm are locked and loaded with plenty of returners, including all-conference guard Gabe Kynard, who emerged as one of the league’s most dangerous scoring threats.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan, selected seventh, just barely missed the conference tournament last season in the first year with Drew Cooper leading the program. Expectations by the Panthers from the league coaches were still exceeded after KWC was picked last in the 2018-19 preseason coaches poll. The Panthers were second in the league in three-point field goals made.
 
In a similar situation as Ohio Dominican, Alderson Broaddus welcomed new coach Stephen Dye, who was previously at Glenville State. The Battlers have been perennial conference championship qualifiers – 2019-20 may be a test to get into the playoffs with so many new faces. The good news is all-conference point forward Malik Bocook is a cornerstone in the program for his senior season.
 
Malone clawed and scrapped to a playoff berth and finished with a +.500 record despite starting the league schedule with a 2-5 record. The Pioneers were picked ninth this year with Jaret Majestic and Daylan Haynie the team’s top offensive threats. A big void will be left behind by the conference’s scoring king, Nate Sheppard, as he poured in 19.2 ppg as a senior.
 
Tiffin’s second year with the league comes with optimistic playoff hopes as the Dragons topped all teams in scoring offense last year. The Dragons scored 84 points per game, but conversely, finished last in the league in defense; Joshua Williams can fill it up quick as he cemented his status as a top-five scorer in the conference.
 
Trevecca Nazarene and Ohio Valley were polled 11th and 12th, respectively, by the coaches. OVU was the league’s best shot blocking program last year, averaging 5 per game and the Trojans return leading scorer Austin Wills, who was top six in the Great Midwest in three point percentage (.406).


Great Midwest Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
 

School	Points
1. Walsh (7 first-place votes)	117
2. Findlay (5 first-place votes)	114
3. Cedarville	97
4. Hillsdale	88
5. Ohio Dominican	80
6. Lake Erie	76
7. Kentucky Wesleyan	64
8. Alderson Broaddus	43
9. Malone	40
10. Tiffin	38
11. Trevecca Nazarene	22
12. Ohio Valley	13