JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) announced its annual men's basketball preseason awards and poll on Tuesday afternoon. Despite a hot finish to the season, a run to the semifinals of the ASUN Tournament last year and the addition of several key roster pieces, the league's coaches voted to pick the Eagles to finish fifth in the league this year.

Additionally, no Eagles were selected for the preseason all-conference team. File all of that under "Motivation" for this year's FGCU squad.
 

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Florida Gulf Coast not only added several key pieces in the offseason, but is also fielding the program's tallest roster in history, including the first seven-foot player to wear the Green & Blue.

The league's coaches chose Queens to win the league with Jacksonville to finish second. That preseason poll follows with Lipscomb, Bellarmine, FGCU, Stetson, North Florida and West Florida, in that order. Queens (5), Jacksonville (2) and North Florida (1) all received first place votes.

Stetson's Collin Kuhl was selected as the ASUN's Preseason Player of the Year while Queens' Avantae Parker was picked as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Preseason All-ASUN honors were awarded to players from Bellarmine (Kenyon Goodin), Jacksonville, Jamie Phillips Jr., Hayden Wood), Lipscomb (Mateo Esmeraldo, Titas Sargiunas, Takai Simplins), Queens (Nasir Mann, Parker, Jordan Watford) and Stetson (Kuhl).

FGCU opens the season on Monday, Nov. 2 at UCF at 7 p.m. in Orlando with the game being broadcast live on ESPN+. The Eagles' home opener is later that week on Friday, Nov. 6 with a 7 p.m. tip against New College of Florida.
 
 
ASUN Preseason Poll

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First-place votes in parenthesis

1. Queens (5)
2. Jacksonville (2)
3. Lipscomb
4. Bellarmine
5. FGCU
6. Stetson
7. North Florida (1)
8. West Florida

 
ASUN Preseason Awards

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Preseason Player of the Year: Collin Kuhl, Stetson
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Avantae Parker, Queens

Preseason All-ASUN

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• Kenyon Goodin, Bellarmine
• Jamie Phillips Jr., Jacksonville
• Hayden Wood, Jacksonville
• Mateo Esmeraldo, Lipscomb
• Titas Sargiunas, Lipscomb
• Takai Simpkins, Lipscomb
• Nasir Mann, Queens
• Avantae Parker, Queens
• Jordan Watford, Queens
• Collin Kuhl, Stetson

 
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