Quan Jackson was named preseason first-team All-Sun Belt.
Photo by: AJ Henderson - Georgia Southern Athletics
Men’s Basketball Picked Third, Three Eagles Named Preseason All-Sun Belt
11/1/2019 11:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Eagles open the season Nov. 5 at No. 24/23 Auburn.
STATESBORO – Georgia Southern was picked third, and a trio of Eagles were named Preseason All-Sun Belt in a poll conducted by the league's head coaches and released today.
Redshirt junior Quan Jackson was named preseason first-team all-league, redshirt senior Ike Smith was named to the second team and senior Isaiah Crawley earned third-team kudos.
A 2018-19 third-team All-Sun Belt selection, Jackson averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 44 percent from the field, making a team high 47 3-pointers and shooting 73.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Smith received a medical redshirt after missing 23 games with an injury and enters the year ranked 13th on the school's career Division I scoring list with 1,480 points. He played in the first 10 games of last season and averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 boards for the Eagles.
Crawley averaged 11.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and a steal a game and shot 56.3 percent from the field, the 11th highest in a season in school history.
Georgia Southern returns three starters and 10 lettermen, including 68 percent of its scoring and 69 percent of its rebounding, off a team that finished fourth in the country in field goal percentage and 15th in scoring a season ago. Georgia Southern reached 20 wins for the third time in five years in 2018-19, posting a 21-12 mark for the second consecutive season. It's the first time GS has won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons in 30 years.
Georgia Southern opens the campaign at No. 24/23 Auburn Tuesday, Nov. 5. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.Season tickets are on sale now, and tickets start at just $100. Single-game home tickets are also on sale, and all tickets can be purchased at GSEagles.com/tickets.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First-place votes in parentheses
1. South Alabama (8) - 138
2. UTA (2) - 124
3. Georgia Southern (1) - 121
4. Texas State (1) - 110
5. Louisiana - 92
6. Georgia State - 76
7. Coastal Carolina - 75
8. ULM - 72
9. Appalachian State - 40
10. Arkansas State - 33
11. Little Rock - 32
12. Troy - 22
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
Quan Jackson, Georgia Southern (RJr., G, Tallahassee, Fla.)
Josh Ajayi, South Alabama (RSr., F, El Monte, Calif.)
Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama (RSr., F, Austell, Ga.)
Brian Warren, UTA (Sr., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)
Nijal Pearson, Texas State (Sr., G, Beaumont, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Justin Forrest, Appalachian State (Jr., G, Decatur, Ga.)
DeVante Jones, Coastal Carolina (So., G, New Orleans, La.)
Ike Smith, Georgia Southern (RSr., G, Gainesville, Fla.)
Kane Williams, Georgia State (Jr., G, Douglasville, Ga.)
Michael Ertel, ULM (Jr., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Isaac Johnson, Appalachian State (Sr., F, Charlotte, N.C.)
Isaiah Crawley, Georgia Southern (Sr., F, Ripley, Tenn.)
Cedric Russell, Louisiana (Jr., G, Alexandria, La.)
JD Williams, ULM (Sr., G, Birmingham, Ala.)
Don Coleman, South Alabama (RSr., G, North Augusta, S.C.)
Preseason Player of the Year
Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama (RSr., F, Austell, Ga.)
Redshirt junior Quan Jackson was named preseason first-team all-league, redshirt senior Ike Smith was named to the second team and senior Isaiah Crawley earned third-team kudos.
A 2018-19 third-team All-Sun Belt selection, Jackson averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 44 percent from the field, making a team high 47 3-pointers and shooting 73.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Smith received a medical redshirt after missing 23 games with an injury and enters the year ranked 13th on the school's career Division I scoring list with 1,480 points. He played in the first 10 games of last season and averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 boards for the Eagles.
Crawley averaged 11.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and a steal a game and shot 56.3 percent from the field, the 11th highest in a season in school history.
Georgia Southern returns three starters and 10 lettermen, including 68 percent of its scoring and 69 percent of its rebounding, off a team that finished fourth in the country in field goal percentage and 15th in scoring a season ago. Georgia Southern reached 20 wins for the third time in five years in 2018-19, posting a 21-12 mark for the second consecutive season. It's the first time GS has won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons in 30 years.
Georgia Southern opens the campaign at No. 24/23 Auburn Tuesday, Nov. 5. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.Season tickets are on sale now, and tickets start at just $100. Single-game home tickets are also on sale, and all tickets can be purchased at GSEagles.com/tickets.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First-place votes in parentheses
1. South Alabama (8) - 138
2. UTA (2) - 124
3. Georgia Southern (1) - 121
4. Texas State (1) - 110
5. Louisiana - 92
6. Georgia State - 76
7. Coastal Carolina - 75
8. ULM - 72
9. Appalachian State - 40
10. Arkansas State - 33
11. Little Rock - 32
12. Troy - 22
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
Quan Jackson, Georgia Southern (RJr., G, Tallahassee, Fla.)
Josh Ajayi, South Alabama (RSr., F, El Monte, Calif.)
Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama (RSr., F, Austell, Ga.)
Brian Warren, UTA (Sr., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)
Nijal Pearson, Texas State (Sr., G, Beaumont, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Justin Forrest, Appalachian State (Jr., G, Decatur, Ga.)
DeVante Jones, Coastal Carolina (So., G, New Orleans, La.)
Ike Smith, Georgia Southern (RSr., G, Gainesville, Fla.)
Kane Williams, Georgia State (Jr., G, Douglasville, Ga.)
Michael Ertel, ULM (Jr., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Isaac Johnson, Appalachian State (Sr., F, Charlotte, N.C.)
Isaiah Crawley, Georgia Southern (Sr., F, Ripley, Tenn.)
Cedric Russell, Louisiana (Jr., G, Alexandria, La.)
JD Williams, ULM (Sr., G, Birmingham, Ala.)
Don Coleman, South Alabama (RSr., G, North Augusta, S.C.)
Preseason Player of the Year
Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama (RSr., F, Austell, Ga.)
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