Neither the University of Northern Colorado women’s nor men’s basketball team placed players on the Big Sky Conference preseason teams announced Thursday.
Sacramento State redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg was named the six-player women’s preseason most valuable player. Montana junior guard Money Williams was the men’s MVP in a unanimous vote. He was the league’s top reserve last year, finishing with 13.4 points and 3.5 assists in Big Sky games.
Last year, the UNC men shared the regular-season Big Sky Conference title with Montana. UNC, 25-10 and 15-3 Big Sky, went to the conference tournament as the top seed and lost to Montana in the championship game. The Bears had three players on the conference postseason first team after the 2024-25 season, but all three guys — Langston Reynolds, Isaiah Hawthorne and Jaron Rillie — left the program after either using eligibility or transferring.
Guard Zach Bloch returns for a fifth season as a graduate student. Bloch was named to the conference all-defensive team last year.
UNC was picked to finish third in preseason Big Sky polls from coaches and the media earlier this week. Other key returners for the Bears are: Brock Wisne, a senior forward from Thornton; graduate student and guard Quinn Denker; sophomore center Egan Shields and senior forward William Humer. The UNC women finished ninth in the Big Sky last year with a 6-12 conference record. The Bears were 14-17 overall. UNC was picked to finish seventh and ninth in preseason polls this week.
Guard London Gamble was a Big Sky honorable mention at the end of last year. Gamble is a senior in her second year at UNC. She transferred to the Bears before last season after starting her college career at Siena College. Also returning for the Bears are: senior forward Aniah Hall and junior forward Tatum West.
The Portland State men had three players named to the preseason team: Terri Miller Jr., Jaylin Henderson and Tre-Vaughn Minott. Montana placed two players on the women’s team: Mack Konig and Avery Waddington.
The preseason teams are (men): Money Williams, Montana (MVP); Terri Miller Jr., Portland State; Jaylin Henderson, Portland State; Andrew Cook, Eastern Washington; Tre-Vaughn Minott, Portland State and Jack Payne, Idaho.
Women’s team: Benthe Versteeg, Sacramento State (MVP); Mack Konig, Montana; Taylee Chirrick, Montana State; Kourtney Grossman, Eastern Washington; Avery Waddington, Montana and
Hope Hassmann, Idaho.
The UNC teams open at home Monday, Nov. 3 and Tuesday, Nov. 4. The men host Colorado College at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3. The women meet Northern New Mexico College at 6 p.m. Nov. 4.
