COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Colorado State University men's basketball team has been picked to finish 12th in the Preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coaches' Poll that was released by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.
In the poll voted on by the league's 15 head coach, the ThunderWolves received 68 points to sit 12 points in front of No. 13 Western Colorado (56 points) and six points behind No. 11 New Mexico Highlands (74 points). The Pack finished last season tied for 10th in the final RMAC standings after posting a 7-13 league record.
Black Hills State was tabbed as the preseason favorite to capture the RMAC title as the Yellow Jackets, who advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 2022 and 2023, earned 183 points and 10 out of a possible 14 first place votes. Defending RMAC regular season and tournament champion Colorado School of Mines, who went 29-5 overall and 18-2 in the RMAC, was tabbed second as the Orediggers earned 167 points and three first place votes, while Colorado Mesa (19-10 overall, 13-7 RMAC) was selected third as the Mavericks earned 158 points and one first place vote.
Behind the top three teams in the preseason poll was UCCS (17-12 overall, 11-9 RMAC) in fourth as they Mountain Lions earned 144 points and is followed at No. 5 by Fort Lewis (19-12 overall, 12-8 RMAC) as they Skyhawks earned 143 points and MSU Denver (19-10 overall, 13-7 RMAC) was tabbed sixth with 137 points.
Chadron State (15-14 overall, 11-9 RMAC) was tabbed seventh as the Eagles earned 102 points and the final first place vote, while Colorado Christian (13-15 overall, 9-11 RMAC) was tabbed eighth with 90 points and Adams State (12-16 overall, 7-13 RMAC) was tabbed ninth with 86 points.
Westminster (13-15 overall, 7-13 RMAC) was selected 10th with 80 points and is followed by New Mexico Highlands (12-16 overall, 5-15 RMAC) at No. 11, CSU Pueblo at No. 12 and Western Colorado (8-19 overall, 6-14 RMAC) was tabbed 13th.
The final two teams in the preseason poll were Regis (18-14 overall, 14-6 RMAC) at No. 14 with 46 points and South Dakota Mines (4-24 overall, 4-16 RMAC) was tabbed 15th as the Hardrockers earned 41 points.
CSU Pueblo, who first-year head coach
Zach Ruebesam coaches, welcomes back one starter and three lettermen from last season's 12-16 team that finished tied for 10th in the RMAC.
Ruebesam's first Pack team welcomes back just 19.4 percent of its points and 25.9 percent of its rebounds from last season's team.
The Pack's lone returning starter from a season ago is junior guard
Jaden Kennis (Windsor, Colo./MSU Denver), who averaged 6.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game and shot 37 percent from the field and was third on the team in made 3-pointers with 24.
The team's other returning lettermen are senior guard
Landen Dvorsky (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty), senior guard
Sam Howery (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary's), sophomore guard
Jordan Blair (Keller, Texas/Keller Central). In addition to the three returning lettermen, the Pack also return four redshirts from last season's team – senior forward
Andon Mindrup (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary's), redshirt sophomore forward
Ty Adam (Severance, Colo./Severance), redshirt sophomore guard/forward
Corbin Garver (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) and redshirt freshman guard
Max Howery (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy).
As a freshman in 2023-24, Garver was named to the All-Colorado Collegiate Freshman Team after averaging 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and capping the season with a career-high 27 points in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinal at Fort Lewis. He played in two games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in practice the week of the Texas A&M-Kingsville home game.
In addition to returners from last season, Ruebesam and his coaching staff have added eight newcomers to the roster, including five transfers and three high school players. The newcomers this season are junior forward
Kyren Allen (Commerce City, Colo./Trinidad State), junior guard
Cash Callaway (Pasco, Wash./South Mountain CC), freshman guard
Kohlman Dutton (Houston, Texas/Bellaire), freshman forward/center
Ari Harpring (Broomfield, Colo./Legacy), senior center
Kaleb Mitchell (Fountain, Colo./Northern State), freshman guard
Bryce Riehl (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mesa Ridge), junior guard
Dylan Sanders (Aurora, Colo./Pearl River CC), and sophomore guard
Mac Terry (Castle Pines, Colo./South Dakota Mines).
CSU Pueblo will play three closed preseason scrimmages before opening the 2025-26 season with a 6:30 p.m. MT game on Friday, Nov. 14, in Lawton, Okla., against Cameron as part of the South Central Region Crossover event. The following day, Saturday, Sept. 15, the Pack will play in Wichita Falls, Texas, against Midwestern State at 2 p.m. MT. The Pack's first home game is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21 against Kansas Christian at 7 p.m.
The Pack's first RMAC contest of the season is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 4 in Massari Arena against Westminster University. Tip-off time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
2025-26 Preseason All-RMAC Men's Basketball Team
Ty Allred, F, R-Sr., Colorado Mesa
Chuol Deng, F, 5th Yr., Fort Lewis
Jaeton Hackley, G, R-Jr., Black Hills State
Tristan Hurdle, G/F, R-Sr., Black Hills State
Cam Lowe, G, R-So., Black Hills State
Xavier Martinez, G, Jr., UCCS
Markus Pastorcic-Straun, G, Jr., Mines
Alex Romack, F, Jr., Mines
Jude Tapia, G, Sr., Fort Lewis
Harvey White, G, So., Colorado Mesa
