RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team has been picked to finish first in the 2021-22 Great American Conference preseason coaches' polls, the conference announced Thursday.
OBU enters its seventh season in the GAC as the program has progressively made a name for itself in the league, finishing in the top three the last three seasons. Oklahoma Baptist received six of the 12 first-place votes in the coaches' poll and 116 overall. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own program.
The Bison posted their best year yet in 2020-21, recording a 16-6 overall record along with a 14-3 conference tally that garnered the GAC Western Division championship. OBU made its deepest run in the NCAA Tournament in school history before falling to No. 2 seeded Lubbock Christian in the NCAA South Central Region Semifinals.
Head Coach Jason Eaker returns for his fourth season with an overall mark of 54-29, including a 38-16 record over the last two seasons. Eaker earned GAC Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his career last season after leading the Bison to an NCAA Tournament appearance for a second consecutive year.
Oklahoma Baptist returns all five starters, including two all-conference selections in Brantly Thompson and Harrison Stoddart. Thompson was tabbed with first-team honors after an exceptional junior campaign, where he ranked third on the team averaging 13.8 points per game and knocked down a team-high 49 three-pointers. He also ranked fifth in the league with 86 assists, averaging 3.9 per game.
Stoddart, named to the all-conference second team, averaged 13.9 points per game, ranking second on the Bison squad. Stoddard shot 53% percent from the floor, which was fifth in the league, and made good on over 80% percent of his free-throw attempts.
Down low, Stoddard and forward Nigel Wilcox denied a matching 30 shots to rank second in the GAC last season. The high-flying junior Wilcox was a force to be reckoned with as his 64% percent field-goal percentage led the GAC. Wilcox brought down 193 rebounds, ranking number one in the league, as he averaged 8.8 per game.
Guards Jaquan Simms and Trey Green averaged 10.5 and 7.7 points per game, respectively. Green cashed in on 26 of his 50 three-point attempts (52%), which ranked second in the conference. Simms was fourth on the team in scoring and second with 67 assists, averaging 3.0 per game.
Oklahoma Baptist will open the 2021-22 season on Oct. 22 with an exhibition game against the University of Science of the Arts (Okla.) inside the Noble Complex in Shawnee.
2021-22 GAC Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches Poll
1. Oklahoma Baptist (6)
2. Southern Arkansas (6)
3. Southern Nazarene
4. Southeastern Oklahoma State
5. Henderson State
6. Arkansas Tech
7. East Central
8. Ouachita
9. Henderson State
10. Southwestern Oklahoma State
11. Northwestern Oklahoma State
12. Arkansas-Monticello
