DALLAS – Louisiana Tech was voted the preseason favorite to win the 2024-25 Conference USA men’s regular season championship, as voted by the league’s 10 head coaches. LA Tech’s Daniel Batcho was named the Preseason Player of the Year and headlines the conference’s 10 Preseason All-Conference honorees, announced by the league Thursday.
 
Batcho announced he would be returning to Ruston for his final collegiate season back in May after the 6’11 forward started in 28 games a year ago. The native of Paris, France, averaged 15.2 points and a league-best 9.8 rebounds per game, ranking 25^th nationally. He led CUSA in field goal percentage (59.0), blocks (67) and double-doubles (11). Batcho helped guide the Bulldogs to a 22-win campaign and took home CUSA Newcomer of the Year honors.
 
The Bulldogs collected three first-place votes and finished with a total of 87 points. LA Tech enters the new season after posting a 22-10 record in 2023-24, including a 12-4 mark in CUSA play. Head coach Talvin Hester enters his third season at the helm after a 7-win improvement from year one with the Bulldogs.
 
WKU (two), Sam Houston (three), MTSU (one) and Liberty (one) collected the remaining first-place votes. The Hilltoppers claimed the No. 2 slot, the Bearkats came in at No. 3 and the Blue Raiders and Flames placed No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. UTEP finished in a tie for the No. 5 spot, followed by NM State, Jax State, FIU and Kennesaw State.
 
Seven of the league’s 10 teams are represented on the preseason all-league team including Tyrone Marshall Jr. and Don McHenry, who helped guide the Hilltoppers to their first CUSA tournament title. Lamar Wilkerson is the lone Bearkat on the squad after leading the team in scoring (13.8) and 3-pointers (52).
 
MTSU and Liberty joined WKU with multiple honorees as Blue Raider seniors Jestin Porter and Camyrn Weston, and Flames standouts Zach Cleveland and Kaden Metheny landed on the preseason all-conference team.
 
After Weston suffered a season-ending injury a year ago, Porter stepped into the guard position two games into the season and averaged a team-leading 13.9 points per game and 32 steals. Weston returns to the lineup in 2024-25 ready to make a sizable impact.
 
Cleveland and Metheny were both all-conference honorees in 2023-24 while Cleveland was one of two players in the country to finish with 375 points, 200 rebounds, 125 assists and 35 blocks. Metheny led CUSA and ranked 23^rd nationally in three-point percentage (41.2).
 
NM State guard Christian Cook and UTEP forward Otis Frazier III round out the preseason all-conference squad. Cook led the Aggies with 362 total points and a team-high 11.3 points per game, hitting a team-high 59 three-pointers at a 35 percent clip. Frazier III was a member of the CUSA All-Defensive Team after finishing second in the league and 15^th in the country in steals (75).

The 2024-25 campaign tips off Monday, Nov. 4, and culminates in the 2025 Conference USA Basketball Championships March 11-15 at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. The men’s final is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
 
2024-25 CUSA Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll

Rank	School (first-place votes)	Total
1.	LA Tech (3)	87
2.	WKU (2)	85
3.	Sam Houston (3)	83
4.	MTSU (1)	69
t-5.	Liberty (1)	62
t-5.	UTEP	62
7.	NM State	39
8.	Jacksonville State	29
t-9.	FIU	17
t-9.	Kennesaw State	17

 
CUSA MBB Preseason Player of the Year
Daniel Batcho, LA Tech
 
CUSA MBB Preseason All-Conference Honorees

Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown
Zach Cleveland, Liberty*	Jr.	F	Bloomington, Ill.
Kaden Metheny, Liberty*	R-Sr.	G	Morgantown, W. Va.
Daniel Batcho, LA Tech*	R-Sr.	F	Paris, France
Jestin Porter, MTSU*	Sr.	G	Houston, Texas
Camryn Weston, MTSU	R-Sr.	G	Albany, Ga.
Christian Cook, NM State	Sr.	G	Oklahoma City, Okla.
Lamar Wilkerson, Sam Houston*	Sr.	G	Ashdown, Ark.
Otis Frazier III, UTEP	Sr.	F	Buckeye, Ariz.
Tyrone Marshall Jr., WKU	Gr.	F	Nashville, Tenn.
Don McHenry, WKU*	Sr.	G	Milwaukee, Wis.

 
* - 2023-24 All-Conference USA selection