Men's Basketball 10/20/2026 2:05:00 PM Ben Greenberg, Director of Sports Communications

Men's Basketball Tabbed Second in RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Two ThunderWolves Earn Preseason All-RMAC Honors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (October 20, 2026) – Coming off one of its most successful seasons on the hardwood in nearly three decades, the Colorado State University Pueblo men's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the 2026-27 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released by the league office Tuesday afternoon.

In the poll voted on by the league's 15 head coaches, the ThunderWolves earned 178 points, just 14 points behind preseason favorite Black Hills State, which was picked to repeat as RMAC champion. The Yellow Jackets, who advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the third time in the past five seasons, earned 192 points and 12 first-place votes. CSU Pueblo received one first-place vote, nine second-place votes and three third-place votes.

The lofty preseason expectations come after the Pack enjoyed a resurgent 2025-26 campaign under first-year head coach Zach Ruebesam. CSU Pueblo finished with a 22-8 overall record and a 15-5 mark in RMAC play, tying for second place in the league standings. The 22 victories marked just the seventh 20-win season for the program since becoming a four-year institution in 1962-63, while the Pack also recorded its first winning season since 2016-17.

The second-place conference finish was the program's best since tying for second in back-to-back seasons in 1987-88 and 1988-89. Additionally, the ThunderWolves earned their first postseason victory in 11 years with a 72-63 win over Colorado School of Mines in the quarterfinal round of the RMAC Tournament at Massari Arena.

Behind Black Hills State (30-5 overall, 17-3 RMAC) and CSU Pueblo, Colorado School of Mines (16-16 overall, 12-8 RMAC) was picked third in the preseason poll after receiving 153 points and one first-place vote. Fort Lewis (18-11 overall, 15-5 RMAC) was selected fourth with 138 points, while MSU Denver (10-18 overall, 8-12 RMAC) rounded out the top five with 125 points.

Colorado Mesa (21-11 overall, 15-5 RMAC), which received the final first-place vote, was tabbed sixth with 116 points. UCCS (15-14 overall, 10-10 RMAC) and Colorado Christian (13-15 overall, 8-12 RMAC) tied for seventh with 111 points each, while Adams State (18-11 overall, 12-8 RMAC) was picked ninth with 94 points and New Mexico Highlands (13-19 overall, 11-9 RMAC) was selected 10th with 90 points.

South Dakota Mines (9-19 overall, 6-14 RMAC) was picked 11th with 85 points, followed by Westminster (12-16 overall, 7-13 RMAC) in 12th with 65 points and Western Colorado (10-18 overall, 8-12 RMAC) in 13th with 52 points. Chadron State (7-21 overall, 5-15 RMAC) was selected 14th with 36 points, while Regis (2-24 overall, 1-19 RMAC) rounded out the poll in 15th place with 29 points.

In addition to being picked second in the preseason coaches' poll, CSU Pueblo had two players selected to the league's 10-member Preseason All-RMAC Team, as senior guard/forward Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq (Aurora, Colo./UCCS) and fifth-year senior guard Jaden Kennis (Windsor, Colo./MSU Denver) were among the players recognized by the conference.

Abdur-Razaaq, who joins the ThunderWolves this season after transferring from UCCS, earned Second-Team All-RMAC honors last season with the Mountain Lions after averaging 14.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He shot an impressive 57.2 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from 3-point range while ranking 16th in the RMAC in scoring, 14th in rebounding and second in field goal percentage.

The 6-foot-6 Abdur-Razaaq scored in double figures in 20 games last season, including four performances of 20 or more points. He closed the campaign by scoring in double figures in each of his final 13 games and recorded four double-doubles on the season.

Meanwhile, Kennis returns for his second season with the Pack after earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC accolades in 2025-26. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game while finishing third on the team in scoring with 325 points and second in rebounding with 154 boards.

Kennis shot 41 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc and 81 percent at the free-throw line. He scored in double figures in 17 games, including a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Pack's RMAC Tournament quarterfinal victory over Mines.

Kennis is one of two returning starters and seven returning lettermen from last season's 22-win squad. The other returning starter is junior guard Macoy Terry (Castle Pines, Colo./South Dakota Mines), who made an immediate impact in his first season with the ThunderWolves in 2025-26.

Terry averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and a team-leading 3.3 assists per game while posting an impressive 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranked 10th nationally in NCAA Division II. He scored in double figures eight times, including a season-high 16 points in CSU Pueblo's RMAC Tournament semifinal game against Colorado Mesa.

Along with Kennis and Terry, the Pack welcomes back five additional lettermen in senior forward Kyren Allen (Commerce City, Colo./Trinidad State), senior guard Cash Callaway (Pasco, Wash./South Mountain CC), senior guard/forward Corbin Garver (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy), sophomore guard Max Howery (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) and sophomore guard Bryce Riehl (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mesa Ridge).

In addition to the seven returning lettermen, Ruebesam and his coaching staff have bolstered the roster with eight newcomers, including five transfers and three incoming freshmen, as the ThunderWolves look to build upon last season's success and contend for an RMAC championship in 2026-27.

Joining Abdur-Razaaq as newcomers are junior forward William Amoah (Mississauga, Ontario/West Valley State), junior guard Quis Davis (Mansfield, Ohio/Northeastern JC), freshman forward Corey Hill (Cheyenne Wells, Colo./Cheyenne Wells), freshman guard Aymen Ismail (Salt Lake City, Utah/Judge Memorial Catholic), junior guard Ethan Johnson (Chicago, Ill./Triton College), freshman guard Lowry Kirkland (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County) and junior guard Tevin Riehl (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Mesa).

The combination of an experienced returning nucleus, two preseason all-conference selections and an influx of newcomers gives Ruebesam and the ThunderWolves a strong foundation heading into his second season at the helm of the program.

CSU Pueblo will play three closed preseason scrimmages before officially opening the 2026-27 season on Friday, Nov. 13, against Midwestern State at 6 p.m. in Massari Arena as part of the South Central Region Crossover event. The ThunderWolves will conclude the two-day event on Saturday, Nov. 14, with a 6 p.m. contest against Cameron.

The Pack will open RMAC play on Thursday, Dec. 3, when it hosts Fort Lewis at 7:30 p.m. in Massari Arena.

2026-27 Preseason All-RMAC Men's Basketball Team