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2026-27 UNCW Men's Basketball Team Photo

Men's Basketball Brandon Sans

CAA Announces Preseason Poll, Accolades

Seahawks Tabbed Preseason Favorite, Wessler Named Preseason POTY

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The UNCW men's basketball team has been tabbed as the Coastal Athletic Association preseason favorite, while graduate center Patrick Wessler was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year following a vote of the conference's 13 head coaches.

UNCW, who went 27-7 overall and 15-3 in league play to claim the outright CAA regular season championship in 2025-26, received 11 first-place votes and was joined in the top three by Charleston and defending league tournament champion Hofstra, who earned a pair of first-place marks.

Wessler, the league's lone returning All-CAA player and top returning scorer (13.6 ppg) and rebounder (9.5 rpg), was joined on the Preseason All-CAA First Team by graduate guard CJ Luster II.

The 7-0, 250-pound Wessler started all 34 games for the Seahawks last season and tallied a CAA-high 17 double-doubles. The NABC All-District Second Teamer was also a national finalist for the Riley Wallace Award (most impactful transfer) and Lou Henson Award (top mid-major player) during his first season at UNCW.

Luster earned All-CAA Third Team status in 2024-25 at Stony Brook after shooting 42.1 percent from three-point range across 32 starts and was voted the Preseason All-CAA First Team last season before missing the year due to injury.

The Seahawks open the 2026-27 regular season against Division II Mount Olive on Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. UNCW will play 18 regular season home games at Trask Coliseum, including nine CAA contests.

Season and non-conference single-game tickets remain available. To purchase tickets, visit UNCWsports.com/BuyTickets or call the UNCW Athletic Ticket Office at (910) 962-3233.

2026-27 CAA Men's Basketball Preseason Awards
Team (1st Place Votes) Points
UNCW (11) 143
Charleston 130
Hofstra (2) 125
Towson 110
Monmouth 95
William & Mary 78
Stony Brook 69
Elon 63
Drexel 58
Hampton 48
Northeastern 42
Campbell 35
North Carolina A&T 18

Preseason Player of the Year – Patrick Wessler, UNCW

Preseason All-CAA First Team
Player Team Class Pos. Hometown
Eli Ellis Charleston So. G Hickory, N.C.
Justin Moore Hofstra 5th G Philadelphia, Pa.
CJ Luster II UNCW Gr. G Denton, Texas
Patrick Wessler UNCW Gr. C Matthews, N.C.
Rashad King Northeastern Gr. G Evans, Ga.

Preseason All-CAA Second Team
Player Team Class Pos. Hometown
Xavier Abreu Charleston So. G Lynn, Mass.
Bryson Cokley Elon Jr. G Whiteville, N.C.
Deywilk Tavarez Hofstra Sr. G Pennsauken, N.J.
Jaden Daughtry Stony Brook Sr. F Richmond, Va.
Zion Stanford Towson Sr. G Philadelphia, Pa.

CAA Preseason Honorable Mentions: Max Green, G, Charleston; Martin Kalu, G, Charleston; Collin O'Connor, G, Stony Brook; Stefanos Spartalis, F, Monmouth; Ashton Walker, G, Monmouth; Jaquan Womack, G/F, Towson



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Players Mentioned

CJ Luster II

#3 CJ Luster II

G
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Patrick Wessler

#2 Patrick Wessler

C
7' 0"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

CJ Luster II

#3 CJ Luster II

6' 3"
Graduate Student
G
Patrick Wessler

#2 Patrick Wessler

7' 0"
Graduate Student
C