Eastern New Mexico University’s men’s basketball team has been ranked tied for sixth in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) preseason poll ahead of the 2025-26 season. The poll, released Monday, ranks all 17 teams in the conference.
"With four all-conference players returning to our program, I think we are off to a good start," said head coach Daven Võ. "In less than a month, we will get to prove our worth."
Last season, Eastern New Mexico finished with a 13-9 record in conference play and also ended up tied for sixth place.
DBU is the preseason favorite, earning 850 points and 42 out of 51 first-place votes after winning last year’s league title and advancing to the national semifinals. St. Mary's, Lubbock Christian, St. Edward's, and West Texas A&M round out the top five teams in the poll. Angelo State shares sixth place with Eastern New Mexico.
The LSC named Damani Claxton of St. Mary’s as its preseason player of the year following his performance last season when he averaged 17.1 points per game and recorded 49 steals.
Each school highlighted one player as a key athlete for the upcoming season; Jose Murillo was selected for Eastern New Mexico. Murillo enters his fourth season with ENMU and has played in 90 games with 85 starts. Last year was his most productive so far, averaging 13.2 points and nearly six rebounds per game along with a career total of 125 blocks—43 coming during the previous season.
Returning players include Mo Austin, Treyvon Byrd, Alex Alfaro, Jaden Clarke, Austin Abrams, Cooper Jackson, and Brandon Kehres. Murillo, Byrd and Jackson were recognized with all-LSC honors last year while Austin made the all-freshman team.
Eastern New Mexico opens its campaign on November 14 at home against Fort Lewis as part of the south central region crossover event at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena.
