Hawks given opportunity to climb according to GLVC preseason basketball polls

QUINCY — Where the Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball teams landed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason polls came as no surprise, even though both squads are expected to look quite different this winter.

The QU men were picked to finish fourth in the five-team GLVC Central Division, according to a vote of the league’s coaches released Thursday. Meanwhile, the QU women were tabbed fifth in the Central Division, receiving a last-place vote from the four other coaches in the division.

The voting in the men’s poll was quite unique.

Missouri-St. Louis received three first-place votes and edged Truman State by one vote for the top spot in the Central Division. What makes that unique is the Bulldogs are ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Division II preseason national poll, return the GLVC Player of the Year in forward Cade McKnight and three other starters and received only two first-place votes.

Keep in mind UMSL returns two-time GLVC Defensive Player of the Year in senior guard Steve Webb and All-GLVC selections in senior forward Marty Jackson and senior guard Steve Wissink.

Lindenwood was picked third in the Central, followed by Quincy and Maryville.

The Hawks return two double-digit scorers in senior guards Charles Callier (13.2 ppg) and Jamaurie Coakley (10.1 ppg) and bring back senior guard Silas Crisler, junior forward Adam Moore and sophomore swingman Paul Zilinskas.

The backcourt got a makeover with the addition of Nate Shockey, a transfer from North Dakota, and two junior college transfers in Mark Bradshaw Jr. and Jalen Stamps. The frontcourt should benefit from signing junior forward Reece Efole and the maturation of sophomore forward Solomon Gustafson.

The Hawks open their season November 12 against Findlay in the GMAC/GLVC Regional Crossover at Pepsi Arena.

On the women’s side, Truman State received four of the five first-place votes and is the favorite in the Central Division. Drury is the overwhelming favorite in the West Division, while Southern Indiana is favored in the East Division.

Quincy has been picked last in the division or last in the league for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Hawks have endured five consecutive losing seasons, but an offseason coaching change has injected energy and new life into the program.

First-year coach Kaci Bailey brought in three junior college transfers — guards  Beth Matas Martin, Grace Flanagan and Riley Hett — and will benefit from the return of senior guard Maddie Spagnola, who battled injuries the past two seasons.

The Hawks open the season November 12 against Ursuline College in the GMAC/GLVC Regional Crossover in Pepper Pike, Ohio.