Anteaters’ Wise earns preseason honor

UC Irvine men’s basketball standout Eric Wise has been named to the six-player preseason All-Big West Conference team by media members.

The UCI men’s team, coming off a 12-19 season that included an 8-8 regular-season conference record and a one-and-done showing in the Big West Tournament, has been picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference.

The UCI women were picked to finish ninth.

Wise, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound sophomore, averaged 14 points and six rebounds last season, when he earned second-team all-conference recognition and was named to the Big West All-Freshman squad.

He was seventh in the conference in scoring and ninth in rebounding and was the Anteaters’ highest-scoring freshman in 14 seasons.

Wise is joined by senior returner Michael Hunter, a 5-10 guard who averaged 11.9 points and led UCI with 67 three-pointers as a junior. He received honorable mention in the all-conference voting last season.

Other returners for Coach Pat Douglass include junior guards Kevin Rembert and Darren Moore, sophomore guard Derrick Strings, and sophomore forward Adam Folker, all of whom started games last season.

Long Beach State, which tied for second in the conference regular-season standings last season, received 17 of 24 first-place votes to top the men’s poll. The 49ers, paced by sophomore Larry Anderson, the Big West Freshman of the Year last season, compiled 209 points.

UC Santa Barbara had six first-place votes and finished second with 178 points, followed by reigning conference and Big West Tournament champion Cal State Northridge (130), UC Riverside (127), Pacific (126, including one first-place vote), UC Davis (114), Cal State Fullerton (90), UCI (76) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (30).

UCI figures to also be bolstered by newcomers Pavol Losansky and Peter Simek, both transfers from Butte Community College, as well as freshmen guards Derick Flowers, Brandon Scott and Mike Wilder.

The Anteaters play host to Concordia in an exhibition game Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., before opening their season at home against La Verne on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

The UCI women’s program, under second-year coach Molly Goodenbour, appears markedly improved from the team that posted a 7-23 record, 4-12 in conference.

The ’Eaters will be paced by senior returners Rebecca Maessen and Mary Has, as well as newcomers Jade Smith-Williams, a former all-conference point guard from Chico State, and Mikah Maly-Karros, a 6-1 freshman transfer from Loyola Marymount.

Maessen, who received honorable mention in all-conference voting as a junior, averaged a team-high 12.7 points, which ranked No. 8 among conference players.

Has, coming off reconstructive knee surgery after her season ended following 16 games in 2008-09, averaged 12.1 points and 5.5 rebounds, the latter topping the team. She may not play until December, Goodenbour said.

The UCI women play host to Concordia in an exhibition game Thursday at 7 p.m., before opening their season Nov. 13 at home against San Diego State at 5 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara topped the women’s poll with 162 points and 10 first-place votes.

The rest of the poll, in order: UC Davis (155), Cal Poly (146), UC Riverside (112), Long Beach State (99), Pacific (87), Cal State Fullerton (59), Cal State Northridge (41) and UCI (39).