Photo by: Joseph Craven
Raiders Picked Atop #HLMBB Poll; Pickett Named Preseason Player of the Year
10/7/2026 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
INDIANAPOLIS/DAYTON – After winning the conference regular season and tournament titles, the Wright State men's basketball team has been picked atop the Horizon League preseason poll. Additionally, sophomore Kellen Pickett has been chosen as the league's Preseason Player of the Year and a First Team All-League preseason selection.
The Raiders earned 492 total votes in the preseason poll, followed closely by Robert Morris with 446 points. Green Bay (367), Oakland (354), and Northern Kentucky (336) rounded out the top five.
Along with Pickett, two other Raiders were selected to preseason All-League teams. Raider newcomer CJ O'Hara joins Pickett on the first team after spending the last two seasons at Green Bay. Dominic Pangonis rounds out the trio of Raiders on the preseason All-League teams, being selected to the second team.
Pickett, who was named the 2025-26 Horizon League Freshman of the Year back in March, finished last season averaging 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds on 56.6 percent shooting, playing 22.9 minutes a night. The sophomore was one of three Raiders to play in all 31 regular season contests a season ago, starting 18 of 20 games against Horizon League opponents. Pickett has scored in 30 games, with double figures in 14 contests, including a career-best 21 points at Green Bay on Feb. 1. His 46 total blocks are the third-most in a single season in Raider history.
O'Hara started all 33 contests in 2025-26, averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting 57.0 percent overall from the floor, grabbing 4.4 rebounds per contest while averaging just under 37 minutes per game. O'Hara scored in double figures 27 times last season, including 11 straight games to end the regular season, and scored a career-high 23 points at Northern Kentucky in February. He shot over 50 percent from the floor in 23 games, including going 8-of-8 from the floor against Milwaukee in January, while he grabbed five-plus rebounds in 15 contests.
Pangonis played in 34 games last season with 28 starts, averaging 8.9 points in his first season as a Raider. He scored double figures in 16 games, including 12 games with 10-plus points against Horizon League opponents, shooting nearly 48 percent overall and 38 percent from deep. Pangonis' season high in points came on the road at Cleveland State in February, where he scored 18 points.
Head Coach Clint Sargent, who earned his first Horizon League Coach of the Year honor last season, returns five players from a year ago while adding nine newcomers, including five transfers and four freshmen. Pickett, Pangonis, and Andrea Holden return to the Raiders. Transfers Nikola Djapa, Sam Johnson, Ilija Milijaševic, CJ O'Hara, and Chadlyn Traylor join the Raiders with collegiate experience, along with redshirt freshmen PJ Douglas and Isaiah Williams and true freshmen Terrence Hayes Jr., Noah Lewis, Tahj Martin, and Landen Northrop.
2026-27 Under Armour #HLMBB Preseason Poll
Pl. Team – Pts.
1. Wright State – 492
2. RMU – 446
3. Green Bay – 367
4. Oakland – 354
5. Northern Kentucky – 336
6. Milwaukee – 309
7. Detroit Mercy – 271
8. Purdue Fort Wayne – 244
9. Youngstown State – 192
10. NIU – 142
11. Cleveland State – 121
12. IU Indianapolis – 80
#HLMBB Preseason Player of the Year
Kellen Pickett, Wright State
Preseason All-League First Team (alphabetical order by school)
Marcus Hall, Green Bay
Danilo Jovanovich, Milwaukee
DeAndre Craig Jr., Purdue Fort Wayne
CJ O'Hara, Wright State
Kellen Pickett, Wright State
Preseason All-League Second Team (alphabetical order by school)
Tyler Spratt, Detroit Mercy
Chandler Jackson, Milwaukee
Darius Livingston, RMU
Ace Valentine, RMU
Dominic Pangonis, Wright State
The Raiders earned 492 total votes in the preseason poll, followed closely by Robert Morris with 446 points. Green Bay (367), Oakland (354), and Northern Kentucky (336) rounded out the top five.
Along with Pickett, two other Raiders were selected to preseason All-League teams. Raider newcomer CJ O'Hara joins Pickett on the first team after spending the last two seasons at Green Bay. Dominic Pangonis rounds out the trio of Raiders on the preseason All-League teams, being selected to the second team.
Pickett, who was named the 2025-26 Horizon League Freshman of the Year back in March, finished last season averaging 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds on 56.6 percent shooting, playing 22.9 minutes a night. The sophomore was one of three Raiders to play in all 31 regular season contests a season ago, starting 18 of 20 games against Horizon League opponents. Pickett has scored in 30 games, with double figures in 14 contests, including a career-best 21 points at Green Bay on Feb. 1. His 46 total blocks are the third-most in a single season in Raider history.
O'Hara started all 33 contests in 2025-26, averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting 57.0 percent overall from the floor, grabbing 4.4 rebounds per contest while averaging just under 37 minutes per game. O'Hara scored in double figures 27 times last season, including 11 straight games to end the regular season, and scored a career-high 23 points at Northern Kentucky in February. He shot over 50 percent from the floor in 23 games, including going 8-of-8 from the floor against Milwaukee in January, while he grabbed five-plus rebounds in 15 contests.
Pangonis played in 34 games last season with 28 starts, averaging 8.9 points in his first season as a Raider. He scored double figures in 16 games, including 12 games with 10-plus points against Horizon League opponents, shooting nearly 48 percent overall and 38 percent from deep. Pangonis' season high in points came on the road at Cleveland State in February, where he scored 18 points.
Head Coach Clint Sargent, who earned his first Horizon League Coach of the Year honor last season, returns five players from a year ago while adding nine newcomers, including five transfers and four freshmen. Pickett, Pangonis, and Andrea Holden return to the Raiders. Transfers Nikola Djapa, Sam Johnson, Ilija Milijaševic, CJ O'Hara, and Chadlyn Traylor join the Raiders with collegiate experience, along with redshirt freshmen PJ Douglas and Isaiah Williams and true freshmen Terrence Hayes Jr., Noah Lewis, Tahj Martin, and Landen Northrop.
2026-27 Under Armour #HLMBB Preseason Poll
Pl. Team – Pts.
1. Wright State – 492
2. RMU – 446
3. Green Bay – 367
4. Oakland – 354
5. Northern Kentucky – 336
6. Milwaukee – 309
7. Detroit Mercy – 271
8. Purdue Fort Wayne – 244
9. Youngstown State – 192
10. NIU – 142
11. Cleveland State – 121
12. IU Indianapolis – 80
#HLMBB Preseason Player of the Year
Kellen Pickett, Wright State
Preseason All-League First Team (alphabetical order by school)
Marcus Hall, Green Bay
Danilo Jovanovich, Milwaukee
DeAndre Craig Jr., Purdue Fort Wayne
CJ O'Hara, Wright State
Kellen Pickett, Wright State
Preseason All-League Second Team (alphabetical order by school)
Tyler Spratt, Detroit Mercy
Chandler Jackson, Milwaukee
Darius Livingston, RMU
Ace Valentine, RMU
Dominic Pangonis, Wright State
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