Oct. 5, 2017 SUMMIT LEAGUE RELEASE
DENVER - Both senior Daniel Amigo and junior Joe Rosga were selected to the Summit League Men's Basketball 2017-18 Preseason teams on Thursday in a release by the league. Amigo was named to the first team and Rosga to the second team.
The Pioneers were picked fifth with 230 points as a team, just four points behind Fort Wayne. Head coach Rodney Billups and his squad are coming off a 16-14 campaign last year, which included an 8-8 record in the Summit League. DU, though, is on the upswing after showing a lot of promise last season during Billups' first year on the sideline, averaging 75.8 points per game, most since going Division I back in 1998.
South Dakota State's Mike Daum was tabbed as the preseason player of the year and the Jackrabbits were also named the preseason favorite on the team side with 13 first-place votes, one more than last year's regular-season champion South Dakota.
Amigo is coming off a breakout junior year in 2016-17, resulting in a second-team all-league selection. The El Paso, Texas native scored a team-leading 15.5 points and pulled down 7.1 rebounds, sixth highest in the Summit League. The senior big man also racked up eight double-doubles last season, third most in the league.
Rosga showed his continued development last year, resulting in a personal-best 15.3 scoring average, 12th in the Summit League. The Minnesota native also shot lights out from deep, knocking down 3s at a 44.3 percent clip, sixth in the league. He was recognized for his great season in 2016-17, earning all-league honorable-mention honors for a second straight year.
Both players also were named to preseason all-league first and second teams by College Sports Madness earlier this week, with Jake Pemberton joining them as a third-team selection.
Denver is set open the year against UC Irvine on Nov. 12 in Magness Arena.
Preseason Poll |
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1. | South Dakota State | 339 (13) |
| 2. | South Dakota | 327 (12) |
| 3. | North Dakota State | 246 |
| 4. | Fort Wayne | 234 |
| 5. | Denver | 230 |
| 6. | Omaha | 124 |
| 7. | Oral Roberts | 104 |
| 8. | Western Illinois | 60 |
Preseason Player of the Year: Mike Daum, South Dakota State |
First Team |
| Name | Team | Year |
| Daniel Amigo | Denver | Sr. |
| Albert Owens | Oral Roberts | Sr. |
| Mike Daum | South Dakota State | Jr. |
| John Konchar | Fort Wayne | Jr. |
| Matt Mooney | South Dakota | Sr. |
| Paul Miller | North Dakota State | Sr. |
| _ | | |
| Second Team |
| Bryson Scott | Fort Wayne | Sr. |
| Joe Rosga | Denver | Jr. |
| Reed Tellinghuisen | South Dakota State | Sr. |
| Trey Burch-Manning | South Dakota | Jr. |
| Emmanuel Nzekwesi | Oral Roberts | So. |
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