FARMINGTON, Utah (October 27, 2021) – With a number of high-caliber players returning to the Big Sky Conference this season it wasn’t easy to select just six players, and ultimately a tie led to seven players from four different programs being named to the Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team.
The Preseason All-Conference Team is voted on by the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and select members of the media.
Receiving the highest number of votes, and claiming the title of Preseason MVP is Southern Utah’s Tevian Jones.
Jones appeared in all 24 contests for Southern Utah last season and was the first Thunderbird ever to be named first-team All-Big Sky. He led the team in scoring with a 16.9 points per game average, which also put him fifth in the Big Sky.
He scored a career-high 33 points against Utah Valley and was an offensive facilitator for the Thunderbirds all season long. Following the year, he was named to the 2020-21 NABC All-District 6 First Team.
Originally from Chandler, Arizona, Jones transferred to Southern Utah by way of Illinois, where he played in 37 total games.
Headlining the reminder of the Preseason All-Conference Team is Northern Colorado’s Bodie Hume. Hume was named Big Sky Freshman of the Year following the 2018-19 season and has been a problem for opposing teams since. He was a second-team honoree in 2019-20, and a third-team member following the most recent season.
Last season, along with being an All-Tournament Team selection for the Big Sky, Hume joined UNC’s 1,000-point club while shooting a blistering 46 percent from the field.
Hume is a Colorado native, hailing from Sterling where he played for Sterling High School.
Southern Utah’s second nod on the preseason team comes in the form of John Knight III, who was a second-team All-Big Sky player a season ago. Appearing in all 23 games for the Thunderbirds in 2020-21, Knight led the league in field goal percentage and finished second in the Big Sky in assists, averaging 4.4 per contest.
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Knight III transferred to Southern Utah from Utah State.
Proving to be a monster in the paint and a massive problem for opposing teams, Montana State’s Jubrile Belo headlines the two Bobcats named to the preseason list.
Belo was a third-team honoree last season, which is the same team he was named to the previous season. He was also an All-Tournament Team member. He averaged 14.0 ppg for the Bobcats and pulled down 5.9 rebounds per contest. He was also second in the Big Sky in blocks with 1.3 per game.
Belo is from London, England.
Weber State University is represented on the preseason listing by guard Seikou Sisoho Jawara, who is a sophomore for the Wildcats after earning second-team All-Big Sky honors last season.
Sisoho Jawara started all 23 games for WSU last season, finishing second for the Wildcats in scoring with 12.3 ppg. He scored in double-digits 14 times during the year. He also finished sixth in the Big Sky in assists with 3.2 per game.
He hails from Mataro, Spain, joining Belo as one of two members of the preseason team from overseas.
Alongside Belo as representatives from Montana State, fellow Bobcat Xavier Bishop has received the nod to the 2021-22 preseason roster.
Bishop was a second-team player in the Big Sky last season, leading MSU in assists per game(3.9) and minutes per game (32.9). The team went 5-0 on the year in games where he scored over 20 points. He was also named Big Sky Player of the Week twice during the season.
Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Bishop played prep hoops for Lanphier High School.
Southern Utah’s third preseason honoree, Maizen Fausett, is the lone representative on SUU’s roster from the state of Utah and has been a member of the Thunderbirds since the 2018-19 season.
Appearing in 23 games for SUU last season, he led the team in rebounding with 6.9 per game, which also put him seventh in the Big Sky. Along with his impressive rebounding, he also poured in 13.5 ppt and shot 54.5 percent from the field.
Fausett is from Saratoga Springs, Utah, and was a second-team All-Big Sky honoree last season.
Seven players were honored on the men’s preseason team due to a voting tie for the final spot. Traditionally, there are just six players with an MVP and roster of five.
The Big Sky Preseason Media and Coaches’ Polls were released last week, with Southern Utah selected as the preseason favorite by both entities.
Tune in to the Big Sky Tipoff on November 4 to get a full breakdown of the preseason all-conference team, as well as the preseason polls, which will stream on ESPN+.
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Big Sky Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Tevian Jones, Southern Utah (MVP)
Bodie Hume, Northern Colorado
John Knight III, Southern Utah
Jubrile Belo, Montana State
Seikou Sisoho Jawara, Weber State
Xavier Bishop, Montana State
Maizen Fausett, Southern Utah
*Seven players were selected due to a tie for the final spot