LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — The East Stroudsburg men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division Preseason Poll, announced by the league Thursday.
 
Prior to the start of each of the last three seasons, the Warriors were voted as the favorite to win the division, moving down a spot with West Chester now as the favorites. The Golden Rams received eight of the nine first-place votes, with ESU receiving the other. The Warriors finished the 2024-25 season with a 21-9 overall record and 15-6 record against PSAC opponents. They ended the regular season as the second seed in the PSAC Tournament, falling to Shepherd in the quarterfinals, followed by a loss to Gannon in the NCAA Atlantic Super Regional.
 
The Warriors look to replace a pair of key departures All-PSAC East First Team members in Lakeem McAliley and Cam Young, bringing back a group of season veterans in Davon Lee, Nasir Griffin, Ethan Millirons, and Carson Howard. Joining the program this year, Kevin Coleman comes over from Lock Haven, where he averaged 12.3 points per game on 60.4% shooting from the field, adding in 7.6 rebounds per game and 1.7 blocks per game. Another addition for the Warriors, sophomore guard Ethan Maynard played his freshman season at Bloomfield, putting up 14.6 points per game, a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, and a shooting split of .478/.455/.765 in 19 starts as a first-year.
 
Head coach Jeff Wilson returns for his 23^rd season as head coach of the Warriors, with Sean Hanna and Shawn Thornton alongside him going into their fifth season together as a staff.
 
ESU opens its season at the PSAC/CIAA Conference Challenge in Petersburg, Va., where the Warriors will take on Winston-Salem State to kick things off on Nov. 14 and Virginia State on Nov. 15.
 
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2025-26 PSAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (# of first place votes in parentheses)
 
EAST
1. West Chester (8)
2. East Stroudsburg (1)
3. Millersville
4. Shepherd
5. Shippensburg
6. Lock Haven
7. Mansfield
8. Kutztown
9. Bloomsburg
 
WEST
1. Gannon (6)
2. IUP (1)
3. California (1)
4. Slippery Rock
5. Seton Hill
6. Edinboro
7. Pitt-Johnstown
8. Clarion