DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's basketball has been picked to finish sixth in the 2025-26 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference Thursday. The Aggies earned 58 points in the voting.
UC Davis is coming off a 2024-25 season in which it finished 15-17 overall and 9-11 in Big West play.
The Aggies return five players from last year's roster, including Nils Cooper, Niko Rocak, Isaiah Chappell, Carl Daughtery Jr., and Connor Sevilla. UC Davis also welcomes nine newcomers for the 2025-26 season: Brayden Fagbemi, Chase Rawlins, Jonathan Noudjihidi, Jalen Stokes, Marcus Wilson, CJ Franklin Jr., Abdullah Amzil, Ylan Esso-Essis, and Omer Suljanovic.
The 2025-26 campaign marks UC Davis' final season in the Big West before joining the Mountain West next year. Head coach Jim Les enters his 15th season leading the Aggies, having guided the program to Big West regular-season titles in 2014-15 and 2017-18, and a Big West Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016-17.
The full 2025-26 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll and Team can be found below:
2025-26 Big West Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank Institution Points
1. UC Irvine 98 (8)
2. UC Santa Barbara 93 (3)
3. Hawai'i 76
4. UC San Diego 69
5. CSUN 63
6. UC Davis 58
7. Cal Poly 54
8. Long Beach State 31
9. UC Riverside 26
10. Cal State Bakersfield 20
11. Cal State Fullerton 17
First-place votes in parentheses
2025-26 All-Big West Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Team
Student-Athlete Year Position Institution Hometown
Jurian Dixon R-So. Guard UC Irvine San Diego, Calif.
Mahmoud Fofana Sr. Forward CSUN San Jose, Calif.
Jason Fontenet II Jr. Guard UC Santa Barbara Phoenix, Ariz.
Andre Henry Gr. Guard UC Irvine La Cañada Flintridge, Calif.
Aidan Mahaney Sr. Guard UC Santa Barbara Lafayette, Calif.
Gytis Nemeikša Sr. Forward Hawai'i Kaunas, Lithuania
