Men’s basketball picked sixth in A-R-C Preseason Coaches’ Poll

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The Simpson College men's basketball team has been picked sixth in the American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league on Wednesday.

Dubuque amassed 64 points with eight first-place votes to sit atop the poll after winning the program's ninth conference title last season. Buena Vista finished just ahead of Coe with 51 points and the final first-place vote. The Kohawks tallied 50 points.

Simpson collected 29 points from the league coaches after finishing fifth in the conference with a 3-7 (3-4 A-R-C) record in pandemic-abbreviated 2020-21 campaign.

All three of the Storm's all-conference performers from last season are set to return to Head Coach Brad Bjorkgren's 2021-22 squad. Chris Honz was named All-A-R-C First Team following a breakout season that saw the junior average 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, up from 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds during his first two seasons. Honz finished second in the league in rebounding and blocks per game (1.2) and fourth in the conference in shooting percentage (61.6).

Along with Honz, the Storm's top-two scorers from last year, Andrew Curran and Collin Lister, are ready to return for their junior seasons. Curran earned second team all-conference honors last season after averaging 15.1 points and a team-high 3.5 assists, while Lister averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game and connected on a team-best 22 3-pointers to also capture a second-team nod.

"We are excited to start play with three all-conference performers," said Bjorkgren. "With all teams returning players with plenty of experience, it will again be one of the toughest leagues in the nation. We must improve in certain areas to be a consistent factor in conference play. We are looking forward to the challenge."

The Storm will open their season at the A-R-C/SLIAC Classic in St. Louis, Mo. on Nov. 12-13. Simpson will face Fontbonne and Westminster (Mo.) over the weekend.

2021-22 American Rivers Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Dubuque (14-0, 7-0 A-R-C)
2. Buena Vista (9-3, 6-2 A-R-C)
3. Coe (6-5, 3-4 A-R-C)
4. Loras (7-5, 4-3 A-R-C)
5. Nebraska Wesleyan (3-3, 1-2 A-R-C)
6. Simpson (3-7, 3-4 A-R-C)
7. Wartburg (4-7, 2-4 A-R-C)
8. Central (3-4, 2-3 A-R-C)
9. Luther (1-8, 1-7 A-R-C)