NEW ORLEANS – Tookie Brown, Ike Smith and Mike Hughes were named Preseason All-Sun Belt, and the Georgia Southern men's basketball team was picked fourth in the league's preseason poll, conducted by the conference's 12 head coaches.

Brown and Smith, who were both first-team All-Sun Belt selections last year, were named first-team preseason all-conference, while Mike Hughes was named to the league's third team.

UTA earned nine first-place votes and was picked to win the league, and Georgia State was picked second. Troy was picked third, followed by Georgia Southern and Louisiana. Just one point separated 2-5, and Georgia State, Troy and Louisiana all earned a first-place vote.

Smith ranked first in the Sun Belt in scoring (19.6 ppg) and field goals made (230), second in free throws made (127) and fifth in field goal percentage (.498) last season. The junior led the Eagles in scoring in 17 games and scored over 20 points 19 times. He finished the campaign just two points shy of reaching the 1,000-point milestone for his career.

A two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection, Brown tied for second in the Sun Belt in scoring (17.1 ppg) and ranked first in free throws made (148), sixth in steals (1.4/gm) and fourth in assists (4.0/gm). The junior scored 20-plus points in six straight games from Dec. 15-Jan. 9 and scored 20-plus points 14 times this season and 30-plus twice. Brown led the Eagles in scoring 12 times and became the first sophomore in school history to go over 1,000 points for his career.

Hughes averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.6 assists a contest and started and played in 30 games. The senior scored in double figures in 17 contests and was named Sun Belt Player of the Week Feb. 7. He tallied his 1,000th career point against Utah Valley in the final game of the season.

The Eagles have been one of the youngest teams in the country the last two years, and for the second year in a row, Georgia Southern returns 94 percent of its scoring and all five starters. A number of college basketball publications are predicting Georgia Southern to be one of the top teams in the conference. 

Georgia Southern season tickets, which are good for both men's and women's basketball home games, start as low as $90 and can be purchased at GSEagles.com/tickets.

The Eagles open the campaign with an exhibition game against Georgia College Nov. 1, in Hanner Fieldhouse, and tipoff is at 7 p.m. GS travels to Augusta for "Storm the Berry," a hurricane relief exhibition game ,Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. 

General admission is $10. AU and Georgia Southern students are free of charge with a valid university ID, while non-Augusta and Georgia Southern students, senior citizens, and military are $5 at the main entrance. Children six and under are free of charge. There will be "Storm the Berry" adidas t-shirts on sale at the game, and all proceeds from the contest go to the American Red Cross to aid hurricane victims.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank, Team, Points (first-place votes)
1. UTA 128 (9)
2. Georgia State 116 (1)
3. Troy 115 (1)
4. Georgia Southern 114
5. Louisiana 113 (1)
6. Texas State 71
7. Arkansas State 68
8. Coastal Carolina 67
9. South Alabama 43
10. Little Rock 37
11. Appalachian State 35
12. ULM 28
 
Preseason First Team All-Sun Belt
Tookie Brown (Georgia Southern, Junior, Guard, Sport Management)
Ike Smith (Georgia Southern, Junior, Guard, Sport Management)
Kevin Hervey (UTA, Senior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Erick Neal (UTA, Senior, Guard, Broadcasting)
Jordon Varnado (Troy, Junior, Forward)
 
Preseason Second Team All-Sun Belt
Ronshad Shabazz (Appalachian State, Junior, Guard, Criminal Justice)
Jaylen Shaw (Coastal Carolina, Senior, Guard)
D'Marcus Simonds (Georgia State, Sophomore, Guard, Sociology)
Bryce Washington (Louisiana, Senior, Forward, Accounting)
Wesley Person (Troy, Senior, Guard, International Business)
 
Preseason Third Team All-Sun Belt
Demario Beck (Coastal Carolina, Senior, Forward)
Mike Hughes (Georgia Southern, Senior, Guard, Sport Management)
Frank Bartley (Louisiana, Senior, Guard, Sociology)
Travis Munnings (ULM, Junior, Forward, General Studies)
Nijal Pearson (Texas State, Sophomore, Guard, Business Management)
 
Preseason Player of the Year
Kevin Hervey (UTA, Senior, Forward, Interdisciplinary Studies)

Georgia Southern Athletics provides current information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, which is fully responsive across all mobile devices. Information on Eagle athletics can also be found through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics and Instagram.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.

In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.