Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
MBB | Defending WCC Regular Season Champion Gaels Picked Second in Preseason Coaches Poll, Dent Named to the Preseason All-WCC Team
10/15/2026 8:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAN BRUNO, Calif. — The annual West Coast Conference men's basketball preseason coaches poll and preseason all-conference team has been officially announced ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, with the defending champion Saint Mary's Gaels being picked to finish in second place. Returning first team All-WCC point guard Joshua Dent represented the Gaels on the preseason all-conference team, the lone returning first team All-WCC selectee to a conference roster from a year ago. Here's a look at the full preseason poll and preseason All-WCC team:
2026-27 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
  
2026-27 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Team
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Saint Mary's enters the 2026-27 campaign on the back of four straight WCC Titles and five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths – all as a single digit seed. The Gaels will be guided by seven-year assistant and former on-court great Mickey McConnell at the helm, and return a core group of six student athletes, including four who started at least one contest last year for the Gaels, the most in the WCC. That group will be accompanied by 10 newcomers, including four power four transfers, also a high mark in the conference.Â
Joshua Dent will once again look to lead the Gaels from the point guard position. The junior turned heads last year, going from averaging 3.5 minutes per game as a freshman to leading the conference in minutes played as a sophomore. Dent finished as the team's third highest scorer (13.2 PPG), shooting an extremely efficient 46.7% from the field, 40.4% from three and 91.8% from the stripe. The Wollongong, Australia native also showed off his skill as a play maker offensively, and a play disruptor defensively, leading the team with 185 assists) and 52 steals, both good for third most in the conference.Â
The preseason KenPom poll has the Gaels checked in as the highest rated West Coast Conference School, with Saint Mary's (No. 72) and Santa Clara (No. 92) ranked in the preseason Top 100. The nonconference schedule created by Coach McConnell and his staff is designed to test the Gaels early and often, with four teams ranked above them in the preseason KenPom rankings (Nevada, Saint Louis, UCLA and Oklahoma State) on the docket, as well as a road clash with New Mexico, who is ranked just five spots below the Gaels.Â
Following the gauntlet of nonconference contests, the Gaels will open conference play on January 2, with highly anticipated clashes between two WCC heavyweights, the Gaels and Santa Clara, set for Jan. 30 in Moraga and Feb. 27 at the Leavey Center.Â
Tradition Built. Excellence Earned.
A new era of Saint Mary's Men's Basketball officially tips off this fall with former standout Gael Mickey McConnell now serving as the Gaels' head coach after having been an instrumental piece of the program for decades, first as a student-athlete and then as associate head coach.
Saint Mary's has built a competitive non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season, which includes a home game against Saint Louis (Nov. 20) and neutral site contests with Nevada in South Lake Tahoe (Nov. 8) and UCLA (Nov. 26) and Texas or Georgetown (Nov. 27) during Feast Week in San Diego's Rady Children's Invitational. The Gaels will also be tested during road games at Oklahoma State (Dec. 5) and New Mexico (Dec. 12).
Saint Mary's Men's Basketball single game tickets are available now and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
Season Tickets are available now and can be purchased by clickingHERE.
The Gaels, who are seeking their fifth straight West Coast Conference title and sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, will also play a designated 16-game league slate with home and road games against LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Seattle U, along with one home-only opponent (San Diego) and one away-only opponent (Denver), as the conference officially announced on June 2.Â
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.Â
Tradition Built. Excellence Earned.
Built by generations of Gaels. Driven by the work that comes next.
2026–27 SINGLE GAME TICKETS — PURCHASE HERE
2026–27 SEASON TICKETS — CLAIM YOUR SEAT HERE
Â
2026-27 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
  
|  RANK | SCHOOL (First-Place Votes) | PTS. |
|
Santa Clara (9) | 81 |
|
Saint Mary's (1) | 70 |
|
San Francisco         | 58 |
|
Seattle U | 54 |
|
Pacific | 53 |
|
LMU | 46 |
|
Pepperdine | 30 |
|
San Diego | 26 |
|
Portland | 22 |
|
Denver | 10 |
2026-27 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Team
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| NAME | YR. | POS. | SCHOOL |
| Joshua Dent | Jr. | G | Saint Mary's |
| Jake Ensminger | Gr. | G | Santa Clara |
| Sash Gavalyugov | Jr. | G | Santa Clara |
| Will Heimbrodt | Sr. | F | Seattle U |
| Carson Johnson | Jr. | G | Denver |
| Will McClendon | Gr. | G | Pepperdine |
| Ndewedo Newbury | Gr. | F | San Francisco |
| Jevon Porter | 5th | F | LMU |
| All Wright | Jr. | G | LMU |
| Junseok Yeo | 5th | F | Seattle U |
Joshua Dent will once again look to lead the Gaels from the point guard position. The junior turned heads last year, going from averaging 3.5 minutes per game as a freshman to leading the conference in minutes played as a sophomore. Dent finished as the team's third highest scorer (13.2 PPG), shooting an extremely efficient 46.7% from the field, 40.4% from three and 91.8% from the stripe. The Wollongong, Australia native also showed off his skill as a play maker offensively, and a play disruptor defensively, leading the team with 185 assists) and 52 steals, both good for third most in the conference.Â
The preseason KenPom poll has the Gaels checked in as the highest rated West Coast Conference School, with Saint Mary's (No. 72) and Santa Clara (No. 92) ranked in the preseason Top 100. The nonconference schedule created by Coach McConnell and his staff is designed to test the Gaels early and often, with four teams ranked above them in the preseason KenPom rankings (Nevada, Saint Louis, UCLA and Oklahoma State) on the docket, as well as a road clash with New Mexico, who is ranked just five spots below the Gaels.Â
Following the gauntlet of nonconference contests, the Gaels will open conference play on January 2, with highly anticipated clashes between two WCC heavyweights, the Gaels and Santa Clara, set for Jan. 30 in Moraga and Feb. 27 at the Leavey Center.Â
Tradition Built. Excellence Earned.
A new era of Saint Mary's Men's Basketball officially tips off this fall with former standout Gael Mickey McConnell now serving as the Gaels' head coach after having been an instrumental piece of the program for decades, first as a student-athlete and then as associate head coach.
Saint Mary's has built a competitive non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season, which includes a home game against Saint Louis (Nov. 20) and neutral site contests with Nevada in South Lake Tahoe (Nov. 8) and UCLA (Nov. 26) and Texas or Georgetown (Nov. 27) during Feast Week in San Diego's Rady Children's Invitational. The Gaels will also be tested during road games at Oklahoma State (Dec. 5) and New Mexico (Dec. 12).
Saint Mary's Men's Basketball single game tickets are available now and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
Season Tickets are available now and can be purchased by clickingHERE.
The Gaels, who are seeking their fifth straight West Coast Conference title and sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, will also play a designated 16-game league slate with home and road games against LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Seattle U, along with one home-only opponent (San Diego) and one away-only opponent (Denver), as the conference officially announced on June 2.Â
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.Â
Tradition Built. Excellence Earned.
Built by generations of Gaels. Driven by the work that comes next.
2026–27 SINGLE GAME TICKETS — PURCHASE HERE
2026–27 SEASON TICKETS — CLAIM YOUR SEAT HERE
Â
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