Fifth-year guard Trey Calvin was named the preseason player of the year, the first Raider to earn the honor since Loudon Love did it multiple times, most recently in 2020-21.
Joining Holden on the second team was sophomore forward Brandon Noel. No other school had more than two individual honorees.
Northern Kentucky was named the conference favorite with Milwaukee second. But the balloting was tight.
Five different teams earned first-place votes: NKU 18, Wright State 12, Milwaukee 10, Youngstown State three and Cleveland State one.
Asked about the poll results, coach Scott Nagy, miffed over some poor practices of late, said: “I don’t care. We’re not a third-place team right now. We’re not good enough to even be that.
“There’s a lot that has to change to get it where people think we could be. We can’t just say, ‘Ah we’re going to be good.’ I think that’s ridiculous.
“We’ve got to be so much tougher than we are right now.”
He wasn’t surprised so many teams received first-place votes.
“I think the league is really good this year — maybe the best I’ve seen it,” he said.
Calvin is the league’s top returning scorer at 20.3 per game. He shot 49.2% from the field, which was eighth overall but second among guards.
He also was eighth in assists at 3.7.
“We obviously appreciate it,” Calvin said of the being picked third, “and I appreciate getting the respect I feel like I deserve after being here five years. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean too much if we’re not winning.”
Holden is reunited with his classmate after spending last season at Ohio State. And the former two-time first-team all-league pick said he’s been impressed by not just by Calvin’s talent, but his diligence.
“His work ethic is consistent. That’s what really sets him apart and what really helped him grow from when he first got here until now. He’s really bought into what coach Nagy is telling him,” Holden said.
“He’s very deserving of (the honor). He worked his butt off last year, and I think all the work is paying off.”
Noel was the league freshman of the year last season after averaging 13.0 points and finishing third in the league in rebounding at 8.7.
“It’s a cool thing to be acknowledged like that, but at the end of the day, it’s preseason. Team awards are much cooler than individual awards,” he said.
“We can’t finish seventh again,” he added, referring to the Raiders being seeded seventh in the league tourney. “That was a disappointment to all of us. It’s not the standard we set and want to continue to set.”
WOMEN’S POLL: Wright State was picked seventh after finishing ninth last season.
Though they lost their top three of their top four scorers, voters apparently took note of their strong finish. They won six of their final 11 games, including a win in the league tourney.
In the coach-only vote, Green Bay was the unanimous preseason favorite, followed by Cleveland State.
CSU’s Destiny Leo averaged a league-high 17.9 points last season while being named player of the year. She’s expected to win the award again after being named the preseason player of the year.
Horizon League Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Northern Kentucky (18) – 435
2. Milwaukee (10) – 397
3. Wright State (12) – 392
4. Cleveland State (1) – 362
5. Youngstown State (3) – 342
6. Oakland – 280
7. RMU – 186
8. Purdue Fort Wayne – 166
9. Detroit Mercy – 132
10. IUPUI – 116
11. Green Bay – 96
Horizon League Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Green Bay (11) – 121
2. Cleveland State – 107
3. Youngstown State – 95
4. Purdue Fort Wayne – 90
5. Northern Kentucky – 63
6. Milwaukee – 59
7. Wright State – 54
8. Oakland – 53
9. IUPUI – 49
10. Detroit Mercy – 21
11. RMU – 14
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