RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Thursday, the Great American Conference released the results of the 2024-25 GAC men’s basketball ballot. Arkansas Tech collected seven first-place votes to enter the season as the preseason favorite.
Last season, the Wonder Boys shared the regular-season title and won the program’s third GAC Championship title. They return Tournament MVP Cassius Brooks and All-Tournament selection Kade Shaffer. Brooks averaged 13.2 points and shot 38.8 percent from the 3-point arc. Shaffer averaged 8.0 points and 4.6 assists per game.
Oklahoma Baptist collected three first-place votes and finished second in the poll. The Bison bring back three double-digit scorers in Terry Coner, Jr., Ricky Brown and Daniel Ransom. They also return the GAC’s top rebounder, Nathan Wilson. Coner, Jr. earned the Freshman of the Year accolade after ranking sixth among Division II freshmen in scoring, 15.8 per game.
Southeastern Oklahoma State took third in the voting. The Savage Storm tied the Wonder Boys for the regular-season title. They must replace all five of their double-digit scorers from last year’s squad.
Northwestern Oklahoma State and Harding each collected a first-place vote to place fourth and fifth, respectively. The Rangers reached the semifinals of last season’s GAC Championships and pushed Arkansas Tech to a one-point decision. Camron McDowell averaged a team-leading 15.9 points per game and shot 37.9 percent from the 3-point arc to make the All-GAC Second Team.
The Bisons experienced a five-game improvement in GAC play and qualified for an eight-team GAC Championship for the first time since 2017. Rylie Marshall earned a spot on the All-GAC Second Team after leading the team in scoring, 14.7 points per game, and shooting 41.8 percent on his 3-point tries. Sam Smith and Keyln McBride also come back after averaging double figures.
Southern Nazarene edged out East Central for sixth place. Under first-year head coach, BJ Foster, the Crimson Storm advanced to the final of the GAC Championships. The Tigers return Godsgift Ezedinma, who averaged 12.4 points per game.
Southern Arkansas followed in eighth place with Henderson State landing in ninth. The Muleriders bring back former assistant Mark Rutledge as their new head coach. He inherits Carel Ray, Jr., who ranked third in the GAC in scoring at 19.3 points per game.
Arkansas-Monticello, Southwestern Oklahoma State and Ouachita Baptist rounded out the poll. The Weevils’ Isaac Jackson led the conference in scoring 20.4 points per game to land on the All-GAC First Team.
Regular-season play begins on Friday, November 8 with 11 schools participating in weekend crossover tournaments. For the first time in GAC history, the Basketball Championships head to Fort Smith. The eight-team event takes place from Thursday, March 6 through Sunday, March 9 at Southside Arena.
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