Southwest Men's Basketball Team Ranked Number 7 in Pre-Season Poll
For more information, contact:
Keith Gentry
901-333-4114
mgentry@southwest.tn.edu
The Southwest Tennessee Community College men's basketball team, coming off an "elite eight" finish in last season's NJCAA Division 1 national tournament, is ranked 7th in the 2016-17 pre-season poll.
Head Coach Jerry Nichols returns five players from last year's 30-5 team that won the TCCAA regular season and NJCAA Region VII tournament championships. Brandon Key, one of the top point guards in the country, led the Saluqis in assists as a freshman and is the lone returning starter. Also back from last year's championship team are combo guard Julian Daughtry, forwards Payton Wilson and Jaquez Johnson, and center John Crnogorac.
The Saluqis and Lady Saluqis open the 2016-17 season on November 1 against Shawnee Community College at the Verties Sails Gymnasium on the Union Avenue Campus. The women's game will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m.
| Rank | College (1st Place Votes) | State | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest Florida State | FL | 200 |
| 2 | Georgia Highlands | GA | 192 |
| 3 | Trinity Valley | TX | 184 |
| 4 | Eastern Florida State | FL | 176 |
| 5 | South Plains | TX | 168 |
| 6 | Hutchinson | KS | 160 |
| 7 | Southwest Tennessee | TN | 152 |
| 8 | John A. Logan | IL | 144 |
| 9 | Odessa | TX | 136 |
| 10 | Salt Lake | UT | 128 |
| 11 | Moberly Area | MO | 120 |
| 12 | Daytona State | FL | 112 |
| 13 | Neosho County | KS | 104 |
| 14 | Hill | TX | 96 |
| 15 | Connors State | OK | 88 |
| 16 | Southern Idaho | ID | 80 |
| 17 | Indian Hills | IA | 72 |
| 18 | Cape Fear | NC | 64 |
| 19 | Tallahassee | FL | 56 |
| 20 | Mineral Area | MO | 48 |
| 21 | Casper | WY | 40 |
| 22 | Vincennes | IN | 32 |
| 23 | Arizona Western | AZ | 24 |
| 24 | McLennan | TX | 16 |
| 25 | Garden City | KS | 8 |