Golden Eagles Picked Fifth in Sun Belt Preseason Poll, Curbelo Earns Preseason All-Sun Belt Honors

Golden Eagles Picked Fifth in Sun Belt Preseason Poll, Curbelo Earns Preseason All-Sun Belt Honors

10/14/2024 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

NEW ORLEANS -- Southern Miss men's basketball senior guard Andre Curbelo was tabbed Preseason Third Team All-Sun Belt, as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the league.

The Vega Baja, Puerto Rico native appeared in 12 games last season for the Golden Eagles. Curbelo missed the first 10 games while waiting for a waiver to be granted from the NCAA and then later battled a season-long injury that caused him to miss a handful of games. In the game he appeared in, Curbelo started in nine of them and averaged 13.6 points per game.

The ultra-talented ball handler had a historic performance against Georgia State as he became the second Golden Eagle in program history to record a triple-double. Curbelo's stat line included 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against the Panthers. He also helped Southern Miss knock off then-No. 19 James Madison at Reed Green Coliseum, which marked only the seventh win over a ranked team in program history. Of the 12 games he appeared in, nine saw the 6-footer score at least 10 points and three with at least 20 points. He also accumulated 45 assists in limited action and had four games with at least six assists.

Southern Miss returns 25.4 percent of its scoring from last season and only 28.8 percent of its minutes. The Golden Eagles welcome back Cobie Montgomery, Neftali Alvarez, Trey Alfonso, Jeffery Armstrong, Tegra Izay, Jose Benitez, Lieb Yat and Curbelo — both Alvarez and Yat missed last season due to injury. Southern Miss' nine newcomers include Alfred Worrell Jr., DeAntoni Gordon, Brewer Carruth, Jett Montgomery, Christian Watson, John Wade III, Denijay Harris, Christian Reid and Dalyn Brandon. Harris returns to the Golden Eagles after transferring to Arkansas for the 2023-24 season.

2024 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Awards

Preseason Player of the Year:
Kobe Julien, Arkansas State [R-SR | F | Baton Rouge, La.]

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
Mark Freeman, James Madison [R-SR | G | Memphis, Tenn.]
Kobe Julien, Arkansas State [R-SR | F | Baton Rouge, La.]
Hosana Kitenge, Louisiana [SR | F | Crawley, England]
Nate Martin, Marshall [SR | F | Houston, Texas]
Myles Rigsby, Troy [SO | F | Fort Worth, Texas]

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Obinna Anochili-Killen, Marshall [5th Yr. | F | Lagos, Nigeria]
Tayton Conerway, Troy [SR | G | Burleson, Texas]
C.J. Huntley, App State [GR | F | Huntersville, N.C.]
Toneari Lane, Georgia State [SR | G | Atlanta, Ga.]
Taryn Todd, Arkansas State [SR | G | Ontario, Canada]

Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Xavier Brown, James Madison [JR | G | Williamsburg, Va.]
Andre Curbelo, Southern Miss [GR | G | Vega Baja, Puerto Rico]
Tyrel Morgan, Texas State [GR | F | Atlanta, Ga.]
Izaiyah Nelson, Arkansas State [JR | F | Atlanta, Ga.]
Myles Tate, App State [SR | G | Spartanburg, S.C.]

2024 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Arkansas State (12) – 193
2. James Madison (1) – 170
3. Troy (1) – 155
4. Louisiana – 144
5. Southern Miss – 133
6. App State – 122
7. Texas State – 89
T8. Georgia Southern – 85
T8. Old Dominion – 85
10. Marshall – 79
11. South Alabama – 78
12. Georgia State – 75
13. Coastal Carolina – 34
14. ULM – 28
*Parentheses indicate first-place votes

Jay Ladner's squad gets the season underway on Tuesday, Oct. 22 when it travels to New Orleans for an exhibition game. Tip-off from Lakefront Arena is slated for 7 p.m. CT.

Follow @SouthernMissMBB on Facebook, Instagram and X for updates. Season tickets are available for the 2024-25 season -- Fans can purchase tickets at SouthernMissTickets.com, by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or visit the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office on campus weekdays during normal business hours.