NO. ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team was picked third in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll on Tuesday.
Saint Michael's College, an NE10 finalist a year ago, gathered eight of a possible nine first-place votes and 80 total points to take the top spot in the poll, while Bentley University earned two first-place votes and 72 points to finish second. SNHU, with 54 points, edged Assumption University (52) for third, while Pace University (49) snuck ahead of Adelphi University (46) for fifth. Defending NE10 Champion Saint Anselm College (37), Southern Connecticut State University (29), American International College (22) and Franklin Pierce University (9) wrapped up the remainder of the poll.
Head coach Jack Perri will begin his ninth season leading the Penmen, who are coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw them finish 15-14, but win six of their last seven regular-season contests to make a late postseason push. They would win a double-overtime contest in the first round, before falling in one overtime in the semifinals.
Southern New Hampshire brings back five returners from last year's roster, including its fifth, sixth and eighth leading scorers from a year ago. Fifth years Jack Hall (Avon, Conn.) and Jahshawne Joseph (Malvern, Ont.) return, as does sophomore Jamier Rose (Berwick, Maine). Hall netted 6.7 points and ranked second on the team with 52 made 3-pointers. Joseph posted 5.4 points and 6.7 rebounds, while Rose cracked the starting lineup in nine of the last 10 games, and averaged 4.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists during those starts. The Penmen also welcome back fifth year Ethan Okwuosa (New Haven, Conn.), who played on the team in 2021-22 and 2022-23, before transferring to Boston University. Okwuosa started all 30 games as a sophomore and averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists, while shooting 42 percent from the field, 39 percent from downtown and 79 percent from the stripe.
SNHU will open the season with a pair of neutral-site games at Bentley University. The Penmen take on Caldwell University on Saturday, Nov. 14 (12 p.m.) and Dominican (N.Y.) University on Sunday, Nov. 15 (12 p.m. SNHU kicks off its home slate Wednesday, Nov. 18 (7:30 p.m.) when it plays host to cross-town rival Saint Anselm College. Be sure to check out @snhupenmen social media channels for the drop of the official 2026-27 schedule poster prior to the season opener.
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2026-27 NE10 Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll
1. Saint Michael's – 80 (8)
2. Bentley – 72 (2)
3. Southern New Hampshire – 54
4. Assumption – 52
5. Pace – 49
6. Adelphi – 46
7. Saint Anselm – 37
8. Southern Connecticut – 29
9. American Int'l – 22
10. Franklin Pierce – 9
