Men's Basketball Picked Sixth In SSAC

By: Matthew Hicks, SSAC Associate Commissioner

Men's Basketball | 10/21/2021 3:30:00 PM

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Loyola (La.) was picked first in the 2021-22 SSAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Dalton State men come in at #6. Stillman (Ala.), SSAC newcomer Talladega (Ala.), defending conference champion Faulkner (Ala.), and William Carey (Miss.) round out the top-5.

2021-22 SSAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Loyola – 95 (7)
2. Stillman – 81
2. Talladega – 81
4. Faulkner – 80 (3)
5. William Carey – 56
6. Dalton State – 46
7. Mobile – 37
8. Middle Georgia – 36
9. Blue Mountain – 20
10. Brewton-Parker - 18

Stacy Hollowell, Loyola Head Coach: "We know this season's schedule is going to be the most challenging that we have had in a long time. The talent level in the SSAC is unbelievable. We had three teams make it to the round of 16 in last year's national tournament. I felt like we had two other programs that were national tournament caliber teams that were left out and now we are adding Talladega, a top 10 program, to the league. As one coach said the other day, this may be a year where an 11-7 or 10-8 conference record is really good."

The Birds will get a full schedule this season and welcome back Marquel Wiggins, Rodley Adjei, C.J. Perry, Antares Gwyn, Igor Stokic and mid-year enrollees Nasir Cassel and Jahir Joyner. Valued additions Jaelin Ferrell, Jalen Barker, Darien Cone, Donavan Miller, Mohammed Abubakar, Franklin Almonte, and Benjamin Montgomery round out the Roadrunner contingent. They will tip-off on October 26 at Mashburn Arena against Fisk (Tenn.)

Additional Notes

Last year, schools were divided into divisions, with Faulkner winning the East and Stillman winning the West before the Eagles won the SSAC Tournament Championship
Talladega joins the league this season. The Tornadoes have qualified for the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship six times since 2015. The Tornadoes return two-time All-American Darryl Baker and add Nebraska transfer Jervay Green
The Wolf Pack advanced to the NAIA Quarterfinals last season before falling in overtime. They return three-time All-SSAC selections Myles Burns and Zach Wrightsil, and add Honorable Mention All-American Jalen Galloway
The 2022 SSAC Men's Basketball Championship will take place Feb. 23-26

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