ENMU squads rank low in LSC basketball polls

RICHARDSON, Texas — After sitting out last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, expectations are not high for Eastern New Mexico University’s basketball teams in the Lone Star Conference.

In preseason polls released Tuesday and Wednesday by the LSC office, the ENMU women were picked for 13th and the men 14th by a vote of coaches, sports information directors and media representatives for all 17 schools.

Lubbock Christian was chosen to repeat as conference champion in both polls. Though some teams began action last week, most LSC squads will begin their seasons in November.

In the men’s poll, Lubbock Christian took 26 of the 44 first-place votes and 711 points to edge West Texas A&M (681 points, 13 first-place votes). Dallas Baptist was third with 623 points and two first-place votes, and a first-place vote went to fourth-place Texas A&M-Kingsville and No. 5 St. Edward’s.

The rest of the top 10 included Midwestern State, Angelo State, Texas A&M-Commerce, Texas-Tyler and Texas-Permian Basin. Texas-Tyler grabbed the other first-place vote, despite a .500 finish last season.

The ENMU men finished with 205 poll points, well back of Oklahoma Christian (252) and well ahead of Cameron (138).

Parker Hicks of LCU received 27 of the 44 votes for preseason player of the year. Hicks, the LSC’s player of the year last season, led the Chaps with 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

In the women’s poll, Lubbock Christian was a clearer choice, with the back-to-back national champs taking 40 of the 44 first-place votes for 741 poll points.

The Lady Chaps, led by preseason player of the year pick Allie Schulte, topped Texas A&M Commerce (674 points, three first-place votes) and West Texas A&M (647 points). Rounding out the top 10 were Cameron, Midwestern State, Texas A&M-International, St. Mary’s, Oklahoma Christian, St. Edward’s and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

For some reason a first-place vote also went to the Texas-Tyler women, who finished 16th in the poll and went 0-14 last year.

The Greyhounds grabbed 241 points in the poll to finish just between Texas-Permian Basin and Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Schulte, an All-American selection who led LCU in points per game (15.1), assists (83) and steals (66), received 25 of the 44 poll votes.

All teams will play either 20 or 21 games against other LSC schools, with 16 of them counting in conference standings. The LSC tournament is slated for March 1-6, with the top 12 teams determined by a seeding committee.

In each tournament, the top four seeds will receive a first-round bye, while the next four seeds will host first-round games. The conference has not announced the sites for the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games.

ENMU’s women opened a three-game preseason exhibition schedule on Monday night against a quality Division I foe in Arizona, and the Hounds absorbed an 84-25 spanking at the hands of the Wildcats in Tucson, Ariz.

Junior post Kamirah Decker led the Hounds with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting, but the rest of the team was just 5-for-42 from the floor. Meantime, 11 of the 15 players on Arizona’s roster scored, no one more than 12 points, and all 15 played between five and 18 minutes.

The Wildcats had a 27-3 advantage in assists in the contest, and forced the Hounds into 27 turnovers while committing just 16 mechanical errors of their own. Clovis freshman forward Hanna Nussbaumer went 1-for-2 from the field for two points in six minutes in her first collegiate action.

ENMU’s men travel to the University of Arizona for their only preseason exhibition on Monday. Meantime, the women play at the University of New Mexico on Thursday, then host Northern New Mexico on Saturday to close out their exhibition slate.

Both teams open their regular seasons with the LSC/RMAC Challenge, with the men playing at The Pit in Albuquerque and the women playing at Western New Mexico.