Staff report

SALISBURY — Catawba’s men’s basketball team was picked by the league’s head coach to finish second in the South Atlantic Conference.

Lincoln Memorial is the favorite.

The Railsplitters got 11 of 13 first-place votes. Catawba got the other two.

Lincoln Memorial was 30-5 in 2022-23 and won the SAC regular season and the Southeast Regional.

Catawba was 23-8 and won the SAC tourney.

Catawba’s DeAngelo Epps and Javeon Jones are preseason first team All-SAC. Peyton Gerald is third team.

2023-24 SAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll

1 Lincoln Memorial (11) 143

2 Catawba (2) 134

3 Newberry 107

4 Wingate 105

5 Tusculum 98

6 Carson-Newman 89

7 Anderson 76

8 Lenoir-Rhyne 55

9 Emory & Henry 53

10 Limestone 47

11 UVA Wise 45

12 Coker 34

13 Mars Hill 28

Preseason All-Conference

First Team

Gabe Brown, Emory & Henry

Me’Kell Burries, Lincoln Memorial

Kory Davis, Mars Hill

DeAngelo Epps, Catawba

Javeon Jones, Catawba

Chase Rankin, Lincoln Memorial

Second Team

Mahmoud Bangura, Coker

Martez Brown, Lincoln Memorial

Garrett Denbow, Anderson

Connor Jordan, Tusculum

Donell Nixon II, Wingate

Jordan Walters, Lincoln Memorial

Third Team

Nick Brenegan, Carson-Newman

Kendall Davis, Mars Hill

Kadyn Dawkins, Mars Hill

Peyton Gerald, Catawba

Jake Moynihan, Emory & Henry

Matthew Sells, Lincoln Memorial