Men's Basketball | 10/19/2016 11:15:00 AM

NEW ORLEANS – Tookie Brown and Mike Hughes have been named Preseason All-Sun Belt, and the Georgia Southern men's basketball team is picked fourth in the SBC Preseason Poll voted on by the league's 12 head coaches, the conference announced today. 

Brown was named to the first team, while Hughes was named to the second team. UT Arlington, defending champion Little Rock and Georgia State each garnered a first-place vote with the Mavericks collecting 10 of the 12. The 2016-17 campaign will be the Sun Belt's 41st season of men's basketball.

Brown was named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Sun Belt and ranked eighth among freshmen in NCAA Division I scoring a season ago. The sophomore guard averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals a contest and set the Georgia Southern freshman scoring record with 551 points. He ranked in the top-10 in the Sun Belt in scoring (4th, 17.8 ppg), assists (7th, 3.4 apg), steals (2nd, 1.7), free-throw percentage (7th, .811) and assist/turnover ratio (6th, 1.5). Brown scored in double figures in 29 games and netted 20-plus points 10 times.

Hughes was named third-team All-Sun Belt in a vote by the league's coaches and Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year by HoopsHD.com last season. He averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.6 assists a contest, led the SBC in steals and ranked ninth in the league in scoring. The junior guard averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 assists in conference games. He scored 20-plus points eight times and reached double figures in the last 17 contests and 23 overall.

After finishing fifth in the Sun Belt Conference last season, the Georgia Southern men return all five starters and 11 lettermen to the 2016-17 squad, including 94 percent of its scoring and rebounding.

Georgia Southern will hold a Hoops Fan Fest Oct. 26, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. Fans will have the chance to meet student-athletes and coaches from the men's and women's basketball teams. Admission and parking is free, and the first 200 fans in attendance will receive free T-shirts.

Season tickets, which are good for both men's and women's home games, start as low as $90, and fans can save over $200 by purchasing season tickets.

The Eagles host Lees-McRae in an exhibition game in Hanner Fieldhouse Nov. 3, before opening the season at NC State Nov. 11.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
1 - UT Arlington - 140 (10)
2 - Little Rock - 124 (1)
3 - Georgia State - 114 (1)
4 - Georgia Southern - 111
5 - Coastal Carolina - 88
6 - South Alabama - 75
7 - UL Lafayette - 70
8 - UL Monroe - 59
9 – Troy - 54
10 - Arkansas State - 46
11 - Appalachian State - 28
12 - Texas State - 27

Preseason Player of the Year
Kevin Hervey (UT Arlington, Junior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)

Preseason First Team All-Conference
Devin Carter (Arkansas State, Senior, Guard, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Tookie Brown (Georgia Southern, Sophomore, Guard, Sport Management)
Marcus Johnson Jr. (Little Rock, Senior, Guard, Criminal Justice)
Kevin Hervey (UT Arlington, Junior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Erick Neal (UT Arlington, Junior, Guard, Communication Broadcasting)

Preseason Second Team All-Conference
Elijah Wilson (Coastal Carolina, Senior, Guard)
Mike Hughes (Georgia Southern, Junior, Guard, Sport Management)
Jeremy Hollowell (Georgia State, Senior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Ken Williams (South Alabama, Senior, Guard, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Wesley Person (Troy, Junior, Guard, Global Business)

Preseason Third Team All-Conference
Ronshad Shabazz (Appalachian State, Sophomore, Guard, Undecided)
Jay  Wright (UL Lafayette, Senior, Guard, General Studies)
Nick  Coppola (UL Monroe, Senior, Guard, Risk Management and Insurance)
Kavin Gilder-Tilbury (Texas State, Senior, Forward, General Studies)
Jordon Varnado (Troy, Sophomore, Forward, Global Business)

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.