10/19/2022

INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue Fort Wayne has been tabbed as co-favorites to win the 2023 Horizon League men’s basketball championship, according to the preseason poll released on Wednesday (Oct. 19).

The Mastodons earned 394 points to tie Northern Kentucky at the top of the preseason poll. The ‘Dons, however, picked up 17 first place votes to Northern Kentucky’s 15. Voting was done by the Horizon League’s head coaches, sports information directors and select media.

The top six teams each received at least one first place vote with Wright State, Oakland, Youngstown State and Detroit Mercy rounding out the top six on the poll.

The league also announced the preseason all-league teams with Jarred Godfrey earning a nod on the first team for the Mastodons. Godfrey enters the season with 1,613 career points, fourth all-time in program history.

Godfrey is part of an experienced core that guided the Mastodons to a regular season league championship last season. Damian Chong Qui, Bobby Planutis and Ra Kpedi join Godfrey as starters from last season returning for 2022-23. Deonte Billups, who earned the Horizon League Sixthman of the Year Award last year, is also back.

COURTESY PURDUE FORT WAYNE MEDIA SERVICES