BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- Prairie View A&M has been picked to finish first in the 2019-20 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Men’s Basketball Preseason poll conducted by the conference office and voted on by the league’s Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors.
The announcement was made on Monday, October 21.
The Panthers finished the 2018-19 season strong with a 17-1 record in league play on their way to winning the SWAC’s 2018-19 regular season and tournament titles.
Texas Southern has been projected for a second-place finish, followed by Grambling State, Alabama State, and Jackson State. Southern, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, and Mississippi Valley State were tabbed to finish 6-10 in the final preseason poll standings.
Prairie View A&M forward Devonte Patterson was named the 2019-20 SWAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year, while Jackson State’s Jayveous McKinnis was tabbed Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Patterson is PVAMU’s top returning scorer at 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He was named to the 2018-19 SWAC All-Tournament team after leading PVAMU to its first SWAC tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth since 1998.
McKinnis played in 28 games last season while starting in 25 of those contests. He logged 734 total minutes played (26.2 mpg) with a field goal percentage of .665 and a free throw percentage of .492. He also tallied 7.8 rebounds each game to go along with 28 steals.
A complete list of the 2019-20 SWAC Men’s Basketball Preseason teams and Predicted Order of Finish can be found below.
2019-20 All-SWAC Preseason Men’s Basketball Teams and Predicted Order of Finish
Preseason Player of the Year
Devonte Patterson, Prairie View A&M
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Jayveous McKinnis, Jackson State
Preseason All-SWAC First Team
Guard – Maurice Howard, Alcorn State
Guard – Ivy Smith Jr., Grambling State
Forward – Eden Ewing, Texas Southern
Forward – Devonte Patterson, Prairie View A&M
Center – Jayveous McKinnis, Jackson State
Preseason All-SWAC Second Team
Guard – Jacoby Ross, Alabama State
Guard – Shaun Doss, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Forward – Troymain Crosby, Alcorn State
Forward – Gerard Andrus, Prairie View A&M
Center – Terrance Banyard, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Prairie View A&M (161)
2. Texas Southern (156)
3. Grambling State (146)
4. Alabama State (140)
5. Jackson State (102)
6. Southern (99)
7. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (86)
8. Alabama A&M (68)
9. Alcorn State (46)
10. Mississippi Valley State (40)
Courtesy: SWAC
