Washburn men’s basketball picked 1st in MIAA preseason coaches poll, women picked 10th

The MIAA released its 2024-25 preseason basketball polls at conference media day on Tuesday, and the Ichabod men find themselves atop the coaches poll to begin the season.

Coach Brett Ballard’s team was picked first and received eight first-place votes in the coaches poll, more than twice as many as any other program. Interestingly, the Ichabods received just one first-place vote out of 19 in the media poll and came in fourth out of 14 teams.

“I’m excited about my team,” Ballard said. “We have a good deal of experience back, which is usually a positive in this conference.”

Ballard was also asked Tuesday about the importance of having such a big senior class, including the likes of forward Andrew Orr and guard Michael Keegan.

“Just because you have seniors that are good players doesn’t guarantee success, but in this league it helps as you go through the grind of it, especially as you go on the road late in the year, that you can lean on guys that have been through it and hopefully aren’t going to get rattled in tough situations,” Ballard said.

Washburn women’s basketball was picked in the lower half of the MIAA in both preseason polls. As coach Lora Westling enters her third season with the program, her team was picked 10th in the conference by the coaches and ninth by the media.

“We had a group that really did a lot of work this summer,” Westling said, adding: “We’re excited about some of those transfers that came in and really came in with a purpose and came in driven, and I think they’re ready to get going.”

One of the big roles for that group of Ichabods newcomers will be replacing third-team All-MIAA point guard Aubree Dewey, who graduated this spring, but Westling likes where things are headed with this year’s roster.

“I think what she did is leave a great blueprint of how we’re going to continue moving this program forward,” Westling said, adding: “I think that’s what we’re focused on as a program right now, taking the next step, trying not to get too high, too low, and just get better in our day to day work. And we’ll see who steps up when the lights come on.”

The Washburn men will face the Kansas Jayhawks in an exhibition game on Oct. 29 before opening the regular season on Nov. 8 against the Sioux Falls Cougars at the Central Region Tipoff Challenge in Kansas City, Missouri. The women will face both the Kansas State Wildcats and KU in exhibitions on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, respectively, before the regular season starts against Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs at the Central Region Crossover in St. Cloud, Minnesota on Nov. 8.

For the full MIAA men’s preseason basketball polls, click here.

For the full MIAA women’s preseason basketball polls, click here.

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