HCAC Preseason Men’s Basketball Poll Places Defiance No. 6

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the 2022-23 men's basketball preseason poll on Wednesday with the Defiance College Yellow Jackets rated sixth among the ten-team league. Hanover College claimed the top spot with eight first-place votes after claiming a league-best 15-3 conference record and a 21-5 finish overall.

Josh Gibson returns to coach the Defiance men after finishing third in the HCAC behind Hanover and Rose-Hulman to complement an 11-11 overall record.

The conference noted Defiance seniors Dejsani Beamon, Kiewuan Graham and Marell Jordan along with sophomores Sherod Brooks and Landen Swanner among players to watch. Jordan paced the Jackets with 18.9 points per game while Swanner led the way in treys with 38 makes. Beamon, Swanner, and Jordan represent three returning starters to be joined by Brooks and Graham transferring from Sienna Heights.

The Yellow Jackets tip off the 2022-23 season with an exhibition contest at Oakland University on Monday, November 7 at 5:30 p.m. Defiance's regular-season opener will be part of the annual Purple and Gold Tournament on November 11.

The full results of the HCAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll are listed below.

2022-23 HCAC Mens' Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Hanover College (8) 80
2. Transylvania University (2) 73
3. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 61
4. Franklin College 49
5. Anderson University 43
6. Defiance College 38
7. Mount St. Joseph University 34
8. Earlham College 32
9. Manchester University 28
10. Bluffton University 12

-JACKETS-