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OGDEN — The Weber State men's basketball team was voted No. 1 in the Big Sky Conference preseason coaches' poll released early Thursday morning, narrowly edging conference rival Montana by one point.
The Wildcats flipped spots with Montana in the media poll, finishing second overall and garnering two first-place votes.
The program is working to bounce back to its winning ways after an uncharacteristic 13-17 record last season. Head coach Randy Rahe is optimistic about his team's chances to compete for a top spot in the conference as he spoke to the media Thursday afternoon.
"This is a new team. We do have a lot more depth, especially at the guard line than we have had for a long time," he said.
Rahe reported that no starters have been selected at this time and was adamant that players may have to sacrifice for the good of the team.
"There is nothing that will be handed out," he said. "Everybody will have to earn it. Guys are going to have to sacrifice this year. There might be some guys that played a whole bunch of minutes last year, but they might not get as many because we have more guys."
Weber State is returning five players from last year's team including senior forward Joel Bolomboy and junior guard Jeremy Senglin, who led the team in points and assists per game last season. Senglin spoke about his role on the team and his personal goals for the season.
"Just lead, be a better leader this year, and do everything I can to win," he said. "That's what I'm going to do."
Senglin also spoke about the goals for the team coming back from a down year and how to use it as motivation for the upcoming season.
"It was a good learning experience," he said. "We learned a lot, and we learned it the hard way. We are just going to bounce back from that and be good this year."
According to Rahe, improvement and success will begin on the defensive end.
"If you don't defend, you're not going to play for me," he said. "We are going to make that our strength; that has to become our strength. Defense and rebounding are the two things we emphasize, and the kids know that. I think we have the personnel to be very good defensively."
The Wildcats open up the season at home against in-state opponent Utah State on Nov. 13. Fans can get an early look at this year's squad at the annual Purple and White scrimmage Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Mark Douglas is a graduate of Weber State University and lives in Ogden, Utah. Contact him at markdouglasmail@gmail.com
