Summit League Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2019-20 season
By Austin Hamm
9. Denver Pioneers
Top Returner: Ade Murkey
It’s never a great feeling when you lose the top two scorers on the team from last season, and it gets even scarier when that team only won eight games. Murkey, a 6-6 senior guard, will go from being the third option to the first. Barring a huge uptick in efficiency, that will probably lead to some offensive struggles for head coach Rodney Billups team. Last year, the Pioneers three conference wins all came at home, and all were by 15+ points. Catch a few more teams napping at altitude when they visit is the easiest path to a better finish.
8. North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Top Returner: Marlon Stewart
Stewart led UND in both points and assists a year ago, and will probably have the ball in his hands even more. Rising sophomore Aanen Moody will likely be Stewart’s full-time running mate in the backcourt after coming off the bench and averaging 9.7 points in 30 games last year. The non-conference schedule will do them few favors, with dates against Gonzaga, Minnesota, Nebraska and Oregon State sticking out. If they surprise in a couple of those matchups, though, this Fighting Hawks squad may look a whole lot more dangerous.
7. Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons
Top Returner: Matt Holba
Since Coach Jon Coffman took the reins in 2014, the IPFW hasn’t finished worse than 4th in the Summit League standings. But with the graduation of program legend John Konchar, the programs final year before joining the Horizon league may represent a bit of a backslide. Holba will spearhead what has historically been a dangerous offensive attack.
But with the loss of Konchar and second-leading scorer Kason Harrell to graduation, as well as sharpshooter Matt Weir to transfer, it’s very easy to see a potential slip-on that end. And going from an elite unit scoring the ball to even just average might make it difficult for the Mastodons to lift themselves any higher than the middle of the pack.