Southern Miss basketball senior guard Isaac Taveras was named the Sun Belt Conference preseason Player of the Year Oct. 19, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
He also earned a spot on the preseason All-Sun Belt first team.
The Golden Eagles were picked to finish seventh in the conference, receiving two first-place votes. Arkansas State was picked to win the league.
Last season, Taveras finished as the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and a team-high 2.2 steals per game. The 6-foot-6 guard scored 32 points in Southern Miss' loss to Troy in the Sun Belt Conference semifinals.
During the offseason, Taveras entered the transfer portal but withdrew and announced his return to the program on June 5. He spent his freshman season with Fresno State before transferring to South Plains Community College as a sophomore.
The Golden Eagles finished last season with a 19-16 overall record and a 9-9 conference record.
Southern Miss is hosting its first exhibition game against LSU New Orleans at Reed Green Coliseum on Oct. 21 (6 p.m. CT).
The Golden Eagles' first regular-season game is at home against Tougaloo on Nov. 2 (7 p.m. CT).
Sun Belt Conference men's basketball preseason poll
- Arkansas State (3 first-place votes)
- James Madison (9 first-place votes)
- Troy
- South Alabama
- Marshall
- Louisiana
- Southern Miss (2 first-place votes)
- Appalachian State
- Georgia Southern
- Georgia State
- Old Dominion
- Louisiana Tech
- Coastal Carolina
- Louisiana Monroe
Davis Wilson covers Southern Miss athletics and Hattiesburg news for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at DWilson@hattiesb.gannett.com or find him on X at @Davis_Wilson.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss basketball's Isaac Taveras named Sun Belt preseason Player of the Year