Mountain West Basketball 2026-27 Preseason Predictions: Awards

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Mountain West Basketball 2026-27 Preseason Predictions: Awards

Mountain West Basketball — ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - OCTOBER 30: Jake Hall #23 of the New Mexico Lobos drives against Zack Davidson #5 of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks during the second half of an exhibition game at The Pit on October 30, 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Lobos defeated the Lumberjacks 64-54. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Matt Hanifan · SB Nation

Tue, Oct 27, 2026 ·

4 min read

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ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - OCTOBER 30: Jake Hall #23 of the New Mexico Lobos drives against Zack Davidson #5 of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks during the second half of an exhibition game at The Pit on October 30, 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Lobos defeated the Lumberjacks 64-54. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The college basketball season is right around the corner, as the season tips off in less than one week! Every year, we do a traditional, four-part tip-off series, where our cast of panelists vote on awards, all-conference teams and power rankings before the season begins, and more!

Here's the first of our four-part series for the Mountain West, where we dig into the awards!

Player of the Year:Jake Hall, New Mexico

Skinny:Hall, a true sophomore, was our unanimous player of the year vote. The reigning Freshman of the Year took the Mountain West by storm, averaging 16.4 points and 3.2 rebounds, topping the league in 3-point makes (117), 3-point percentage (43.8) and effective field goal percentage (61.7). He's not going to wow you athletically, but Hall is incredibly crafty getting to his spots and only needs a sliver of daylight to deliver.

Defensive Player of the Year:Tyrin Jones, UNLV

Skinny:Also entering his sophomore season, Jones led the Mountain West in blocks as a freshman. He's probably the conference's top pro prospect, if you exclude Grand Canyon's Jaden Henley, who is still fighting over eligibility with the NCAA after testing the NBA waters this summer. Jones is extremely athletic and has pretty good timing on his rejections. He was also more discipline than many high-flying shot blockers at his age, averaging just 2.8 fouls per 75 in 2025-26. I'm excited to see him anchor this Runnin' Rebels back-line this year.

Freshman of the Year:Jackson Kiss, UNLV

Skinny:A four-star recruit originated from Auckland, New Zealand, Kiss averaged 9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and four assists during the Nike EYBL Summit across 14 games. And he also has experience in the FIBA World Cup, posting 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds on 50.0 percent shooting, including a 17-point, eight-rebound performance against Lithuania in the quarterfinals. I think he's going to impact Josh Pastner's rotation right away.

Newcomer of the Year:TJ Coulter, Nevada

Skinny:Coulter was one of the many solid transfers that head coach Steve Alford landed as he enters his final season. Coulter arrives from Laramie County Community College, where he was an All-American. Coulter, who played high school basketball locally in Sparks, Nev., at Reed, averaged an astounding 27.8 points — the third-most among all NJCAA players — in addition to 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals last year. For what it's worth, I was quite impressed by Coulter in Nevada's exhibition against Utah, scoring a team-high 19 points.

Sixth Man of the Year:Amarion Dickerson, Grand Canyon

Skinny:Grand Canyon's rotation is going to give Bryce Drew a headache for all the right reasons. But I am going with Dickerson, who was the Horizon Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25 with Robert Morris before he was sidelined for all but eight games with USC with a hip injury . If he gets meaningful rotation minutes, he's going to provide a big impact.

Coach of the Year:Bryce Drew, Grand Canyon

Skinny:Drew has won 20 games in each of the last five seasons with the Antelopes, with his 20 last season being the lowest over that span. He's a great coach and, per our predictions, will win the award.

Best Offense:New Mexico

Skinny:Lobos second-year head coach Eric Olen has produced three-straight top-70 offenses, and with the preseason frontrunner for player of the year alongside dynamic point guard Uriah Tenette, I think he replicates that success.

Best Defense:Grand Canyon

Skinny:Limbs! Grand Canyon's length will be a tough task for any offense to navigate night-to-night. Grand Canyon had a top-25 defense last year, and I think there's a decent chance this year's defense is even better.

Best Bench:Grand Canyon

Skinny:Grand Canyon is loaded with talent up-and-down its roster, especially if Jaden Henley is deemed eligible. Nevertheless, Bryce Drew has an embarrassment of riches. After all, GCU is spending nearly $12 million on its roster.

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