Northwest men picked 1st by MIAA coaches

By Phil Cobb | October 21, 2015 |

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Northwest men’s basketball team was picked first in the 2015-16 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll which was released by the conference office on Wednesday. Northwest received nine of the possible 13 first-place votes to top the poll. Coaches cannot vote for their own institutions.

Northwest returns three starters off last season’s team that went 25-7 overall and captured the outright MIAA regular season title with a 15-4 record. For the second straight season, the Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. First-team All-MIAA performer Justin Pitts was also named the MIAA Freshman of the Year. Senior guard Conner Crooker earned second-team All-MIAA honors while Zach Schneider was an All-MIAA honorable mention performer. Head coach Ben McCollum was named the MIAA’s Co-Coach of the Year with Kevin Muff of Pittsburg State.

The Bearcats begin the 2015-16 season at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, against Upper Iowa in St. Joseph. The first home action for Northwest will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, against Central Methodist University.