The league’s basketball coaches have voted the Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s Basketball Team to finish eighth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll as announced by the league. The Bears are coming off an 11-15 season but have many new faces on the team.

The Bears feature just six returning players from a season ago and 11 new faces. Returners Tim Steele, Cooper Fowler and Nas Tyson were starters in the exhibition game at Tennessee for the Bears who were joined by newcomers Tay Smith and Jaheim Taylor. Chase Mebane, Conner Tilley and Jalen Miller saw large roles as newcomers along with Cris Paez and Sam Martin against the Volunteers.

The newcomers and returners will have to mesh in order to prove the league coaches wrong and the Bears have the talent to do so under Head Coach Everick Sullivan who enters his eighth season.

2023-24 SAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank School (First Place Votes) Points
1 Lincoln Memorial (11) 143
2 Catawba (2) 134
3 Newberry 107
4 Wingate 105
5 Tusculum 98
6 Carson-Newman 89
7 Anderson 76
8 Lenoir-Rhyne 55
9 Emory & Henry 53
10 Limestone 47
11 UVA Wise 45
12 Coker 34
13 Mars Hill 28