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Coyotes MBB Picked 7th; Gruis Named All-Summit

10/16/2013 6:09 PM

Jay Elsen  | @ElsenMidco

The Summit League LogoThe USD men's basketball team finished seventh in The Summit League last season (10-18, 5-12 SL), and it seems folks in and around the conference don't expect much of a change in 2013-14.

Here's a look at the league's annual preseason poll - which is made up of votes from coaches, SIDs, and media - that was released on Wednesday:

2013-14 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL

Rk Team (1st) Pts.
1. North Dakota State (25) 305
2. Denver (3) 260
3. South Dakota State 233
4. Western Illinois 161
5. Omaha 130
6. Fort Wayne 120
7. South Dakota 102
8. IUPUI   81

It's hard to argue with the top three teams, but it should be pretty wide open from there.

From an individual standpoint, Coyotes senior center Trevor Gruis was named to the Preseason All-Summit League Team (2nd). The Ellsworth, Minn. native started all 30 games as a junior, averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds.

PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE

First Team

Name School Pos. Ht. Yr.
Lawrence Alexander North Dakota State G 6-3 Jr.
Marshall Bjorklund North Dakota State F 6-8 Sr.
Taylor Braun North Dakota State G 6-7 Sr.
Jordan Dykstra South Dakota State F 6-8 Sr.
Justin Simmons Omaha G 6-3 Sr.
Chris Udofia Denver F 6-6 Sr.

Second Team

Name School Pos. Ht. Yr.
Trevor Gruis South Dakota C 6-10 Sr.
Luis Jacobo Fort Wayne F 6-5 Sr.
Adam Link Western Illinois F 6-6 Sr.
Brett Olson Denver G 6-5 Jr.
Mitch Patton IUPUI C 6-9 Sr.

Preseason Player of the Year: Taylor Braun, North Dakota State


Filed Under Basketball | College