Saints Picked 3rd By League Coaches
The Jayhawk Conference coaches are expecting a major bounce back season from Bryan Zollinger and the Seward County Saints this year as they have picked the Saints 3rd in the preseason coaches' poll as announced by the league on Monday.
Seward returns one of the more veteran programs in the league this season including a pair of All-Conference and 16 point per game scorers in guards Charles Beauregard and Kevin Sims. Sims led the Saints in scoring at 16.5 per game in 2014-2015 before taking a redshirt last season while Beauregard rode shotgun alongside All-American Niem Stevenson last year to a 16.3 point per game output. After being punished in the paint a season ago, the Saints worked on getting more size in the middle this year and they did that successfully as 6'6, 210 pounder Micah Littlejohn returns after an injury that cost him last season while 6'8 Spencer Franklin transfers in from Collin College where he scored 7 points per game as a freshman a year ago. Overall, the Saints 15 man roster includes six returners and nine new faces, three of those newcomers being second year transfers.
As expected, Hutchinson holds down the top spot after a 2016 that saw them play for the NJCAA title in March. Dodge City is a surprise pick at #2 as they bring back 2016 Freshman of the Year Josh Boutte while defending Region VI Champs Neosho County check in at #4 and traditional powerhouse Coffeyville rounds out the top five.
Saints fans will get a sneak peek at the team on Thursday at Basketball Preview Night in the Greenhouse before Seward opens their 2016-2017 campaign next Tuesday and Wednesday against Sunrise Christian and Fort Carson.