HAMPTON, Va. (Oct. 2, 2025) … The Hampton University men's basketball team was tabbed fifth in the CAA preseason poll as announced by the league office Thursday morning. The Pirates also saw senior guard,
Xzavier Long and sophomore guard,
Daniel Johnson be named to the honorable mention team.
A season ago the Pirates finish tied for ninth in the regular season before winning their first round game in the conference tournament over Northeastern 70-65. Coach
Ivan Thomas' team finished 17-16, finishing above .500 for the first time in five seasons. The four teams picked ahead of Hampton (80 pts.) are Towson (136 pts.), UNCW (132 pts.), Charleston (130 pts.) and William and Mary (97 pts.)
Long was a centerpiece for the Pirates a year ago starting a team best 30 of 33 games. He averaged 7.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in the 2024-25 campaign. He added 26.9 minutes per game with his season high of 36 coming against Towson on Mar. 1, 2025.
Johnson was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team last season, becoming just the second Pirate to accomplish that feat. He started 18 games, playing in 25, where he averaged 7.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Johnson poured in a career high 22 points against College of Charleston on Jan. 2, 2025. He added nine games with double digit scoring.
The Pirates are set to open their season in an exhibition at Old Dominion on Oct. 26. Hampton then tips off the regular season when it travels to Milwaukee on Nov. 3.
2025-26 CAA Men's Basketball Preseason Awards
| Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| Towson (7) |
136 |
| UNCW (5) |
132 |
| Charleston (1) |
130 |
| William & Mary |
97 |
| Hampton |
80 |
| Monmouth |
76 |
| Campbell |
75 |
| Northeastern |
66 |
| Hofstra |
66 |
| Drexel |
63 |
| Stony Brook |
41 |
| Elon |
35 |
| North Carolina A&T |
17 |
Preseason Player of the Year - Tyler Tejada, Towson
Preseason All-CAA First Team
| Tyler Tejada* |
Towson |
Jr. |
G/F |
Teaneck, N.J. |
| Colby Duggan* |
Charleston |
Jr. |
F |
Monson, Mass. |
| Cruz Davis |
Hofstra |
Jr. |
G |
Plano, Texas |
| CJ Luster II |
UNCW |
Sr. |
G |
Denton, Texas |
| Dylan Williamson* |
Towson |
R-Jr. |
G |
Upper Marlboro, Md. |
Preseason All-CAA Second Team
| Mister Dean |
Charleston |
So. |
G |
Miami, Fla. |
| Jack Collins |
Monmouth |
Sr. |
F |
Manasquan, N.J. |
| LA Pratt |
Northeastern |
Sr. |
G |
Columbus, Ohio |
| Collin O'Connor |
Stony Brook |
So. |
G |
Dayton, Ohio |
| Chase Lowe |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
G |
Weddington, N.C. |
* unanimous selection
CAA Preseason Honorable Mentions: Shane Blakeney, Jr., F, Drexel; Dovydas Butka, So., G, Campbell; Nolan Hodge, Sr., G, UNCW;
Daniel Johnson, So., G, Hampton; Xzavier Long, Sr., G, Hampton; Kyle Pulliam, Sr., G, William & Mary; Noah Ross, Sr., G, UNCW
