Towson Tabbed 2025-26 CAA Men’s Basketball Favorite; Tyler Tejada Named Preseason Player of the Year
Dylan Smith
RICHMOND, Va. – The Coastal Athletic Association unveiled its 2025-26 Men’s Basketball Preseason Awards and Coaches Poll on Thursday with conference favorite Towson being led by Preseason Player of the Year
Tyler Tejada.
Voting was conducted in a poll of the CAA’s 13 head coaches ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Towson, which was the CAA regular season champion in 2024-25, received seven first-place votes to earn the league’s top spot in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Fresh off its record-breaking seventh CAA crown, UNCW will look to make its way back to the top after being projected to finish second in the league after earning five first-place nods. A wave of second-year head coaches fills out the CAA’s top five as
Chris Mack’s new-look Charleston squad was picked third and secured a single first-place vote. William & Mary’s
Brian Earl and Hampton’s
Ivan Thomas will also look to build on their successful first campaigns after seeing their programs earn fourth and fifth-place finishes, respectively.
Monmouth completed the top six in the conference poll, edging out Campbell, led by defending national champion and first-year Head Coach
John Andrzejek. Hofstra, Northeastern, Drexel were next in the voting, followed by Stony Brook, Elon and North Carolina A&T rounding out the field.
Reigning CAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year
Tyler Tejada returns to Towson for his junior campaign after becoming the first true sophomore to garner the major accolade since the turn of the century. Tejada is one of five conference Player of the Year honorees from last season to return to his same school and defend his recognition in 2025-26, joining McNeese’s Javohn Garcia, Purdue’s Braden Smith, Quinnipiac’s Amarri Monroe and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin. The Teaneck, N.J., native blossomed in league action for Towson with 16.8 points on 43.7 percent shooting. Tejada also boasted 2.0 made triples per contest and shot 82.5 percent from the free-throw line in CAA play.
The Tigers will also see redshirt junior
Dylan Williamson suit up for the 2025-26 season, joining Tejada both on the court and on the league’s Preseason All-CAA First Team. The guard out of Upper Marlboro, Md., made an impact during postseason action, averaging 27.5 points and 5.0 treys per game in the 2025 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Defending conference champion UNCW will turn to a heavy mix of veteran CAA players for the 2025-26 campaign, including Preseason First Team selection
CJ Luster II. The senior guard makes his way to Wilmington after scoring 16.8 points per game with a 42.1 percent shooting clip from distance at Stony Brook. Among the several conference returners are
Nolan Hodge,
Noah Ross and
Greedy Williams, all of whom were vital in the Seahawks’ title run in March.
Charleston matched Towson with two players being selected for Preseason All-CAA Team honors. Fresh off an All-CAA First Team campaign,
Colby Duggan notched a spot on the preseason’s top team after averaging 15.7 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting with Campbell in 2024-25. Sophomore guard
Mister Dean was the only transfer to crack the league’s preseason teams. The reigning Big South Freshman of the Year averaged 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest with USC Upstate in his first collegiate slate.
Nine of the 10 players selected to a Preseason All-CAA team are returning to the conference for the upcoming campaign. Junior guard
Cruz Davis rounds out the league’s top squad after posting 14.4 points and 4.4 assists per contest for Hofstra last season. Monmouth’s
Jack Collins, Northeastern’s
LA Pratt, Stony Brook’s
Collin O’Connor and William & Mary’s
Chase Lowe joined Dean on the conference’s second team. All four players are also returning to the respective schools they played for during the 2024-25 season.
2025-26 CAA Men’s Basketball Preseason Awards
| Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| Towson (7) |
136 |
| UNCW (5) |
132 |
| Charleston (1) |
130 |
| William & Mary |
97 |
| Hampton |
80 |
| Monmouth |
76 |
| Campbell |
75 |
| Hofstra |
66 |
| Northeastern |
66 |
| Drexel |
63 |
| Stony Brook |
41 |
| Elon |
35 |
| North Carolina A&T |
17 |
Preseason Player of the Year - Tyler Tejada, Towson
Preseason All-CAA First Team
| Tyler Tejada* |
Towson |
Jr. |
G/F |
Teaneck, N.J. |
| Colby Duggan* |
Charleston |
Jr. |
F |
Monson, Mass. |
| Cruz Davis |
Hofstra |
Jr. |
G |
Plano, Texas |
| CJ Luster II |
UNCW |
Sr. |
G |
Denton, Texas |
| Dylan Williamson* |
Towson |
R-Jr. |
G |
Upper Marlboro, Md. |
Preseason All-CAA Second Team
| Mister Dean |
Charleston |
So. |
G |
Miami, Fla. |
| Jack Collins |
Monmouth |
Sr. |
G |
Manasquan, N.J. |
| LA Pratt |
Northeastern |
Sr. |
G |
Columbus, Ohio |
| Collin O’Connor |
Stony Brook |
So. |
G |
Dayton, Ohio |
| Chase Lowe |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
G |
Weddington, N.C. |
* unanimous selection
CAA Preseason Honorable Mentions: Shane Blakeney, Jr., G, Drexel; Dovydas Butka, So., F, Campbell; Nolan Hodge, Sr., G, UNCW; Daniel Johnson, So., G, Hampton; Xzavier Long, Sr., F, Hampton; Kyle Pulliam, Sr., G, William & Mary; Noah Ross, Sr., G, UNCW