"According to a poll of league coaches, defending California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular-season Champion, Chico State, is predicted to claim the 2015-16 CCAA Men's Basketball title, its was announced Wednesday.
The Wildcats garnered 137 points and eight first-place votes to finish ahead of Cal Poly Pomona, which totaled 124 points and one first-place vote.
UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino each snagged two first-place votes and came within five points of one another in this year's poll. The Tritons received 121 points, while the Coyotes totaled 116 points.
The Conference's newest member, Cal State San Marcos, was predicted to finish fifth with 81 points, edging San Francisco State by just one point. Humboldt State rounded out the top half of the standings with 74 points and were followed by Cal State LA (73), Cal State Monterey Bay (63), Stanislaus State (48), Cal State East Bay (44), Sonoma State (34), and Cal State Dominguez Hills (19).
Chico State is coming off of another outstanding season, which included winning its second Conference Championship title and its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament berth. Under reigning CCAA Coach of the Year Greg Clink, the Wildcats finished the 2014-15 season with a 22-8 overall record and an 18-4 record in CCAA play.
With the loss of Conference-leading rebounder and All-West Region selection Jordan Semple, Clink and the Wildcats will look to All-CCAA selections Robert Duncan and Tanner Giddings to lead this year's squad. Last season, Ducan led the Wildcats with 13.1 points per game and ranked fourth in the CCAA in field goals made (144) and field goal percentage (52.9). Giddings shot 49.7 from the floor and recorded season totals of 222 points, 100 rebounds, 23 assists, 14 steals, and 12 blocks in 2014-15.
Defending Conference Tournament Champion, Cal Poly Pomona concluded 2014-15 play with a 24-7 overall record. Despite the absence of CCAA Player of the Year Terrence Drisdom, three solid seniors — Jordan Faison, Barry Bell, and Francois Tchoyi — return to lead a Broncos team that includes five freshman, two sophomores, and a junior. All-West Region forward, Faison, ranked among the top five in numerous categories last season, including field goals made (168), field goal percentage (52.5), defensive rebounds (137), and points (414).
UC San Diego, which finished fifth in last years CCAA standings with a 14-8 record, returns all-but-two players from last year's team, including starters — Aleks Lipovic, Adam Klie, Drew Dyer, and Hunter Walker. With an offensively balanced team, Walker (12.2), Klie (12.3), and Dyer (11.4) all averaged double-digit points for the Tritons in 2014-15.
Five institutions — Cal State LA, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Chico State, Cal State East Bay, and Cal State San Bernardino will begin their respective seasons on Friday, November 13. Cal State LA, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Chico State are scheduled to participate in tournament play, with the Golden Eagles and Toros traveling to Riverside for the Cal Baptist Conference Challenge and the Wildcats to Hayward for the Inaugural CCAA/GNAC Pioneer Challenge.
Cal State East Bay and Cal State San Bernardino will tip-off CCAA play this season, with the Coyotes hosting the Pioneers Tuesday, December 1 at 7:30 pm.
The 2016 Men's Basketball Championship Tournament returns to its 8-team format with first round contests played at campus sites. Tournament play is scheduled to begin March 1 at campus sites, while semifinal and finals are set to be played March 4-5 at Stockton Arena.
2015-16 CCAA Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank Institution (first-place votes) Total Points
1. Chico State (8) 137
2. Cal Poly Pomona (2) 124
3. UC San Diego (1) 121
4. Cal State San Bernardino (2) 116
5. Cal State San Marcos 81
6. San Francisco State 80
7. Humboldt State 74
8. Cal State LA 73
9. Cal State Monterey Bay 63
10. Stanislaus State 48
11. Cal State East Bay 44
12. Sonoma State 34
13. Cal State Dominguez Hills 19"
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