UNCW Tabbed 2026-27 CAA Men’s Basketball Favorite; Wessler Selected as Preseason Player of the Year

10/15/2026 10:00:00 AM

Dylan Smith

RICHMOND, Va. – The Coastal Athletic Association revealed its 2026-27 Men’s Basketball Preseason Awards and Coaches Poll on Thursday, with conference favorite UNCW being led by Preseason Player of the Year Patrick Wessler.

Voting was conducted in a poll of the CAA’s 13 head coaches ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

UNCW claimed the league’s top spot in the preseason poll with 143 points and 11 first-place votes, while Charleston was picked second with 130 points. The league’s defending champion Hofstra earned two first-place nods and was picked third with 125 points, followed by Towson (110) landing inside the top four. Monmouth (95), William & Mary (78), Stony Brook (69) and Elon (63) round out the top eight before seeing Drexel (58), Hampton (48), Northeastern (42), Campbell (35) and North Carolina A&T (18) complete the order of finish.

UNCW is fresh off its fifth consecutive 20-win campaign, going 27-7 last season. The Seahawks also claimed the regular season title with a 15-3 mark in league play. UNCW took down Yale with their sixth double-digit comeback of the season, surging in the second half to secure a 68-67 win over the Bulldogs in the opening round of the 2026 National Invitation Tournament. The Seahawks have produced a CAA-best 126 victories over the last five years under the direction of Head Coach Takayo Siddle. UNCW will turn to Preseason Player of the Year Patrick Wessler, as well as fellow Preseason All-CAA First Team selection CJ Luster.

Wessler returns to UNCW for his final season and earned Preseason Player of the Year honors entering the 2026-27 campaign. The 7-foot big man started all 34 games for the Seahawks last season and tallied double-doubles in 17 of those contests. The league’s top returning scorer and rebounder from a season ago averaged 13.6 points and 9.5 rebounds across 26.7 minutes per contest en route to an All-CAA First Team nod. Wessler elevated his game in conference play, averaging a double-double with 14.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

For the 15^th time since the 2000-01 season, the league’s preseason favorite, UNCW, and Player of the Year, Wessler, have come from the same team. Furthermore, it marks just the third instance in the last nine seasons in which the CAA Preseason Player of the Year was rostered on the conference’s preseason poll favorite.

Charleston was chosen as the league’s runner-up as it enters the 2026-27 season under new head coach John Groce. Stepping away from the University of Akron with 379 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances across nine seasons, Groce will look to bring the same success to Charleston with Preseason All-CAA First Team selection Eli Ellis and Second Team honoree Xavier Abreu leading the charge. Ellis, a South Carolina transfer, will look to build off a solid freshman campaign in the SEC with 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Abreu is also coming off a stellar first collegiate season highlighted by 12.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest for Northeastern last season.

Defending CAA Champion Hofstra has loaded up for the 2026-27 campaign, turning to familiar faces in the CAA with Preseason First Team honoree Justin Moore and Second Team selection Deywilk Tavarez. An All-CAA Third Team and All-Rookie Team selection in his two seasons with Drexel (2023-25), Moore returns to the CAA after averaging 10.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.2 rebounds per contest with Loyola Chicago last season. Tavarez will look to get back to form with the Pride after putting forth 12.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while with Charleston during the 2024-25 campaign. Joshua DeCady, an All-CAA Defensive Team honoree in 2025-26, also returns to the Pride after the team’s title run, while looking to complement the dynamic duo.

Northeastern is also among the teams seeing a former player return to the CAA as Rashad King makes his way back to Northeastern for his graduate season. In three seasons with the Huskies, King averaged 10.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The Evans, Ga., native went off for career-high totals in his last season (2024-25) with Northeastern, earning a spot on the All-CAA First Team with 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Elon’s Bryson Cokely earned a Preseason Second Team nod, returning to Elon for the upcoming campaign after averaging 12.3 points per contest for the Phoenix last season. Senior transfers Jaden Daughtry of Stony Brook and Zion Stanford of Towson round out the league’s preseason Second Team. Daughtry spent time with Indiana State (2023-25) and Richmond (2025-26) prior to his arrival on Long Island, logging 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for his career. Stanford previously played for Temple (2023-25) and Villanova (2025-26), posting 8.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest in 75 games played between the two schools.

The 2027 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship returns to CareFirst Arena on March 5-9. The league’s championship event will be held in Washington, D.C., for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.

2026-27 CAA Men’s Basketball Preseason Awards

Team (1^st Place Votes)	Points
UNCW (11)	143
Charleston	130
Hofstra (2)	125
Towson	110
Monmouth	95
William & Mary	78
Stony Brook	69
Elon	63
Drexel	58
Hampton	48
Northeastern	42
Campbell	35
North Carolina A&T	18

Preseason Player of the Year – Patrick Wessler, UNCW

Preseason All-CAA First Team

Player	Team	Class	Pos.	Hometown
Eli Ellis	Charleston	So.	G	Hickory, N.C.
Justin Moore	Hofstra	5th	G	Philadelphia, Pa.
CJ Luster II	UNCW	Gr.	G	Denton, Texas
Patrick Wessler	UNCW	Gr.	C	Matthews, N.C.
Rashad King	Northeastern	Gr.	G	Evans, Ga.

Preseason All-CAA Second Team

Player	Team	Class	Pos.	Hometown
Xavier Abreu	Charleston	So.	G	Lynn, Mass.
Bryson Cokley	Elon	Jr.	G	Whiteville, N.C.
Deywilk Tavarez	Hofstra	Sr.	G	Pennsauken, N.J.
Jaden Daughtry	Stony Brook	Sr.	F	Richmond, Va.
Zion Stanford	Towson	Sr.	G	Philadelphia, Pa.

CAA Preseason Honorable Mentions: Max Green, G, Charleston; Martin Kalu, G, Charleston; Collin O’Connor, G, Stony Brook; Stefanos Spartalis, F, Monmouth; Ashton Walker, G, Monmouth; Jaquan Womack, G/F, Towson

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