Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball Picked to Win the MVC
10/26/2004 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 26, 2004
ST. LOUIS - The Southern Illinois University men's basketball team is an underdog no more. For the first time in 10 years, the Salukis were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in a poll of media and sports information directors.
Southern has won the conference regular-season title each of the last three seasons, but was not picked to win in the pre-season polls.
The Salukis will look to become the first pre-season favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown since Creighton was picked to win in 2001.
Should Southern Illinois win the league's regular-season title it would be the first Valley school to grab four-straight crowns since Cincinnati ended its run of six in a row in 1963.
The Salukis have a formidable lineup returning, including pre-season Valley Player of the Year Darren Brooks. Brooks is joined in SIU's starting five by honor winners Stetson Hairston and LaMar Owen. Hairston was a second-team all-MVC pick a year ago, and Owen was the league's Sixth Man of the Year.
Chris Lowery takes over the reigns at SIU as the third head coach in three years in Carbondale. The Salukis received 23 first-place votes and 357 total points to edge Wichita State in the league's pre-season tabulations.
Coach Mark Turgeon has taken the Shockers to back-to-back post-season NIT trips, and he is looking for bigger success in 2004-05. His teams have shown increased numbers in total wins in each of his first four seasons, and he has all-conference performer Jamar Howard leading the charge. WSU was a narrow second in this year's preseason poll, with 13 first-place tallies and 349 total points.
The league's two other postseason teams from last year include Creighton and UNI, and those two tied for third in this year's preseason poll with 265 points.
Ben Jacobson represents the Panthers on the pre-season team after leading UNI to the NCAAs by earning league tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. Meanwhile, Creighton's Nate Funk is the top returning scorer for the Bluejays, who lost four fifth-year seniors from last year's NIT club.
SMS is looking to improve on last season's fifth-place finish. The Bears, picked fifth (253 points), return four players with starting experience, including Blake Ahearn, who set an NCAA free throw accuracy record in 2003-04.
Drake recorded some impressive wins in 2003-04, and the Bulldogs, led by pre-season choice Lonnie Randolph, hope to move into the upper division in 2004-05. Coach Tom Davis and his troops are picked sixth (195 points).
Bradley's Marcellus Sommerville is a member of the league's pre-season team, and he hopes to help the Braves to a higher finish than its seventh-place prediction (123 points).
Evansville is missing prolific scorer Clint Cuffle from last year's team, but the Aces do have four starters back, including Lucious Wagner, who finished second in the league in assists last year. The Aces are tabbed eighth with 107 points.
Indiana State also has four starters back, including all-conference caliber players David Moss and Amani Daanish. The Sycamores were 4-3 in the league before key injuries took a toll on them last year as they won just one game after Jan. 22. ISU is ninth in the poll (98 points).
Meanwhile, Illinois State will hope to ride the talents of guards Vince Greene and Trey Guidry out of a predicted 10th-place finish (78 points). Four starters return for coach Porter Moser.
For the first time in 10 years, Southern Illinois Men's Basketball Picked to Win MVC Title
Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) Total
1. Southern Illinois (23) 357
2. Wichita State (13) 349
3. Creighton (1) 265
UNI (1) 265
5. SMS 253
6. Drake 195
7. Bradley 123
8. Evansville 107
9. Indiana State 98
10. Illinois State 78
Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors, media, and coaches.
2004-05 MVC Preseason All-Conference Team
Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year, Hometown (High School)
Darren Brooks, Southern Illinois, G, 6-3, 205, Sr., St. Louis (Mo.) Jennings High Jamar Howard, Wichita State, F, 6-5, 206, Sr., Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Bishop Miege
Ben Jacobson, UNI, G, 6-3, 190, Jr., Sioux City (Iowa) East High
Lonnie Randolph, Drake, G, 6-1, 165, Sr., East Chicago (Ind.) Merrillville High
Marcellus Sommerville, Bradley, F, 6-7, 225, Jr., Peoria (Ill.) Central High
Preseason Player of the Year -- Darren Brooks, Southern Illinois
