GSC Communications
Nick Moeller
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the 2020-21 men’s basketball season, the Gulf South Conference will split into East and West divisions. The GSC men’s basketball coaches have selected Valdosta State as the East Division favorite and Alabama Huntsville as the West Division favorite.
Valdosta State has won the last four GSC regular season championships. The Blazers will bring back guards Burke Putnam (11.7 ppg, 3.1 apg) and Imoras Agee (12.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg). Putnam averaged 26.5 points in postseason wins against Montevallo and West Alabama last season. Agee started all 30 games in 2019-20, and he scored 21 points in the GSC Semifinal win over West Alabama.
Alabama Huntsville won the 2020 GSC Championship, the school’s third conference title in the last five years. JJ Kaplan, a two-time all-conference selection and the GSC Championship’s Most Outstanding Player last season, will be back for the Chargers. UAH will also return former all-conference honoree Sam Orf along with Max Shulman, who led the team in scoring last season (12.7 ppg).
Lee follows Valdosta State in the East Division poll. Junior Quay Kennedy returns after having a breakout season, earning a spot on the preseason all-conference team. He finished second on the team in both points per game (13.9) and rebounds per game (5.6). He also shot 53.3 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Flames advanced to the GSC Semifinals for the first time in program history last year.
Union is projected to finish right behind Alabama Huntsville in the West Division. The Bulldogs are led by Tyree Boykin, a 2019-20 First Team All-GSC selection. Boykin (20.0 ppg) finished as the GSC scoring champion last season. He was also named to the D2CCA All-South Region team.
The Preseason All-GSC Teams, as well as a list of top newcomers for each squad, can be found at the top of the page, while the preseason polls can be found below.
2020-21 MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL – EAST
| School | Total Points |
| 1. Valdosta State (5) | 35 |
| 2. Lee (2) | 32 |
| 3. Montevallo | 21 |
| 4. West Florida | 20 |
| 5. West Georgia | 19 |
| 6. Auburn Montgomery | 14 |
| 7. Shorter | 6 |
2020-21 MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL – WEST
| School | Total Points |
| 1. Alabama Huntsville (5) | 25 |
| 2. Union (1) | 20 |
| 3. Delta State | 15 |
| 4. West Alabama | 12 |
| 5. Mississippi College | 10 |
| 6. Christian Brothers | 8 |