SIOUX FALLS – South Dakota State is the preseason favorite to win the 2023-24 Summit League Men’s Basketball title and Jacks’ guard Zeke Mayo has been named as the league’s preseason player of the year.
SDSU received 27 of the 36 first-place votes from head coaches, sports information directors and select members of the media. Last season was the first since 2013-14 that the Jackrabbits did not win a regular season or tournament title in their conference. Last year’s regular season and tournament champion, Oral Roberts, was chosen second.
Mayo is the top returning scorer in the Summit League. He averaged 21.5 points per game last season and was the only league player to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Forward Luke Appel joins Mayo on the preseason All-Summit League First Team. Appel suffered a season-ending injury last season after only five games and was granted a medical redshirt.
Jacks’ sophomore William Kyle III is on the second team. Kyle was on last year’s all-newcomer team and led Summit League first-year players with 38 blocks.
South Dakota is sixth in the poll. The Coyotes’ top two scorers from last season graduated. Junior Paul Bruns is USD’s leading returning scorer after averaging 8.9 points a game last season, his first with the Coyotes.
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