LONG BEACH, Calif. - The PacWest Conference announced its 2025 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll on Friday afternoon. Fresno Pacific was slotted at the number two spot, tied alongside Hawaii-Hilo with 128 points overall. Despite slotting in level with the Vulcans, the 'Birds did receive one of the 13 first place votes. Point Loma is the consensus favorite to repeat as champions, and claimed the other 12 first place votes.
The Sunbird men's basketball team enters the 2025-26 season with renewed optimism after a strong finish to last year and some key contributors returning. The squad has been rewarded for its upward trajectory, and expectations are high.
Last season, the Sunbirds finished strong — winning seven of their final nine games down the stretch to climb into postseason contention, however their quest ultimately came up short. In a heartbreaking final day showdown, the team fell to the Menlo Oaks by one point as the game-winning shot by Isaac Peralta rimmed out at the buzzer. A victory would have clinched the Sunbirds' berth into the PacWest Tournament.
FPU ended the 2024-2025 season 13-15 overall and 10-10 in PacWest, finishing in seventh place. Head coach CJ Haydock is entering his 10th season with the 'Birds. More importantly, last season he became the all-time winningest coach in Fresno Pacific men's basketball history, surpassing the record previously held by Jim Sargent since 1998. Under Coach Haydock, the program has steadily grown its competitiveness and built a strong culture.
The returning top three scorers for the Sunbirds are Peralta, Seth Brown, and Harrison Pennisi. Peralta returns after being the sole Sunbird to earn Second Team All-PacWest honors. The senior point guard led the team in minutes, points (368), rebounds (136), assists (73) and steals (41). He was named to the 2025 PacWest Preseason Watch List. Aussie big man Liam Switzer and transfer Nick Davidson (So., Menlo College) comprise two of the three players to receive PacWest freshmen of the year votes. The 'Birds can expect key contributions from returning junior Gabriel Quiette and sophomore Hugo Gonzalez Garcia to keep the momentum going.
Some key transfers for the Sunbirds include Davidson, Amar Hot (Jr., St. Leo's), and Logan Kilbert (Fr., Weber State). They will be joined by freshmen Loukas Jones (Clovis North HS) and Abram Potts (San Joaquin Memorial HS), who will make a lasting impact to the 2025-2026 season.
The 'Birds are ten days away from tip off! They will head up Chestnut to the Save Mart Center to take on Fresno State on Nov. 3 at 7:30 pm in an exhibition, before battling Stanislaus State in the Pioneer Challenge on November 14th to open up regular season competition.
CLICK HERE for the full PacWest Preseason Poll for Men's Basketball.
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