SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- With the Southern Conference media day underway on Wednesday at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C., the league office announced Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball graduate transfer Jake Stephens as the Preseason Player of the Year following a vote among fellow league coaches.

In addition to the individual laurel, Chattanooga received a pair of first-place votes and was picked to finish second in the media poll behind Furman, who totaled 18 first-place votes. In the coaches poll, the Mocs were slotted fourth behind Furman, Samford and UNCG, respectively.

Stephens, who played at league foe VMI the past four seasons, finished second in the SoCon last season behind Malachi Smith with a 19.6 points per game average. The seven-footer posted 17 games with 20 or more points in 2021-22 and shot a blistering 49.6% from three and 55.1% from the floor, which ranked atop the SoCon and 37^th nationally.

Chattanooga opens the regular season on Monday, November 7 when it travels to face College of Charleston inside TD Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be LIVE on FloHoops. Game coverage links will be made available on the schedule page when available.

Full preseason voting as well as relative information leading up to first tip can be found below.

Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year
Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
 
Preseason All-Southern Conference team
Jordan King, Jr., G, ETSU
Mike Bothwell, 5th, G, Furman
Jalen Slawson, 5th, F, Furman
Logan Dye, Sr., F, Samford
Ques Glover, Jr., G, Samford
Jermaine Marshall, Jr., F , Samford
Bubba Parham, Sr., G, Samford
Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Messiah Jones, Sr., F, Wofford
B.J. Mack, Sr., F/C, Wofford
 
Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes)  Points
1. Furman (6)     78
2. Samford (4)   74
3. UNCG              63
4. Chattanooga 60
5. Wofford          41
6. ETSU 40
7. Mercer            39
8. Western Carolina        29
9. The Citadel     17
10. VMI 9
 
Preseason Media Poll
Team (1st-place votes)  Points
1. Furman (18)   263
2. Chattanooga (3)          231
3. Samford (5)   223
4. UNCG (1)        201
5. Wofford          168
6. ETSU 138
7. Mercer (1)      137
8. Western Carolina        79
9. The Citadel     57
10. VMI 43
 
BOO AND GOLD FREE HALLOWEEN EVENT | PREVIEW
Fans can catch a sneak-peak at the 2022-23 squad tomorrow, Thursday, October 27, as the men's and women's basketball programs are set to host a FREE "Boo and Gold" Halloween Event inside McKenzie Arena. The event will feature trick-or-treating for the kids, live scrimmaging, autographs and more.

MOCS TRI-PACK TICKET DEAL
The final home football weekend has two friends at home as well with men's and women's basketball competing in the Roundhouse. For just $25, fans get tickets to all three games with men's basketball on Thursday, Nov. 10, and football and women's hoops in action on Saturday the 12th.

MBB vs. Oakland City, 7 p.m.
FB vs. Samford, 1:30 p.m.
WBB vs. Austin Peay, 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online at gomocs.com/tickets or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).

SINGLE GAME TICKET INFO | BUY
Single-game and season tickets are now on sale. General admission pricing begins at $10 for both the men and women with a $12 option available for the men's games. Padded reserved seating for the women's games is $16 and $20 for the men while a $15 reserved option is also available for the men's games.
 
Get a deal on weekday games! Check out the Mocs "4 for $40" deal. Get four tickets, four drinks, and four hot dogs or four nachos all for $40!! Some may call that a steal!
 
Group options are available as well and must be purchased in advance by calling The McKenzie Arena ticket office at 423-266-MOCS (6627) or come by the Gate 3 ticket office at the Roundhouse. Business hours for the box office are Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

SEASON TICKET INFORMATION | BUY
Season ticket packages and renewals ahead of the Chattanooga Mocs men's and women's basketball 2022-23 seasons are on sale NOW with lower bowl tickets starting at under $100. Seating maps and pricing will remain the same from last season, however, due to ongoing construction/renovations at The McKenzie Arena, seating will be restricted to LOWER BOWL ONLY.
 
Make sure you guarantee a seat this season with a season with a season ticket PURCHASE or RENEWAL. Tickets can be purchased online at the links provided, at The McKenzie Arena Box Office (Gate 2) or by calling 423-266-MOCS (6627) during normal operating hours, Monday through Friday from 10:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET.
 
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