Colorado State has the top two Mountain West basketball players
Colorado State has the best basketball players in the Mountain West.
That’s what voters say after Rams were named the conference’s preseason players of the year on the men’s and women’s side.
McKenna Hofschild was announced Wednesday as the women’s preseason Player of the Year and fellow point guard Isaiah Stevens followed it Thursday when he was named men’s preseason Player of the year.
The 5-foot-2 Hofschild was an All-American last season after averaging 20.6 points and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 49% from the field. She was the program's first All-American since Becky Hammon.
Stevens is CSU's all-time assists leader and he averaged 17.9 points and 6.7 assists per game. His assist total ranked fourth in the nation.
Newcomer of the Year
Hofschild wasn't the only individual preseason award winner for the CSU women's team. Jackie Carman was named the preseason Newcomer of the Year.
The transfer from Wofford has started 87 games in her career and scored 15.1 points per game last season.
CSU women picked second
The Rams were chosen to finish second in the Mountain West this season:
UNLV (24 first-place votes)
CSU (1)
Wyoming (2)
Boise State
San Diego State
New Mexico
Air Force
Nevada
San Jose State
Fresno State
Utah State
CSU hosts University of Colorado Colorado Springs in an exhibition at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 before opening the season at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Moby Arena against Le Moyne College.
CSU men picked fifth
Here’s the predicted order for the Mountain West men’s side:
San Diego State (25 first-place votes)
Boise State (4)
New Mexico (1)
Nevada (1)
CSU
UNLV
San Jose State
Fresno State
Utah State
Wyoming
Air Force
CSU opens the season at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at home against Louisiana Tech.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State has the top two Mountain West basketball players
