COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For just the second time in program history, the Black Hills State University men's basketball team has been tabbed the preseason RMAC favorites. Accumulating 183 points with ten first place votes, the Yellow Jackets were voted by the leagues' head coaches to upend last year's regular season and tournament champions, Colorado School of Mines, who were picked second with three first place votes. BHSU is coming off their seventh consecutive top-4 finish under the leadership of head coach Ryan Thompson, who guided the Green & Gold to an 18-12 (13-7 RMAC) record a year ago, and a trip to the RMAC Tournament Semifinals. Black Hills State is set to return ten players from the 2024-25 roster, including RMAC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-RMAC selection Cam Lowe, and Honorable Mention All-RMAC selections Jaeton Hackley and Tristan Hurdle, who were all named 2025-26 Preseason All-RMAC.

HEAD COACH RYAN THOMPSON | 8^TH SEASON | 139-66 (.678) OVERALL | 104-40 (.722) RMAC
The 2-time RMAC Coach of the Year, Ryan Thompson, is set to begin year eight in Spearfish as he looks to lead Black Hills State to a potential third postseason appearance in the national tournament. Over the course of his seven seasons at the helm of the program, he has amassed a 139-66 overall record, the second-most wins all-time in school history and is one of just four BHSU coaches to surpass 100-career victories. His 2024-25 team gained momentum late in the season, winning eight of their last 11 games to reach the RMAC Tournament Semifinals for the fifth consecutive season and securing their seventh consecutive top-4 finish in the conference standings as they finished in a tie for third. Last year's team ranked 12^th in NCAA Division II in 3-point field goal percentage (38.5%) and was 23^rd in field goal percentage defense (41.7%), The Green & Gold join Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Mesa as the only three schools to win 13 or more conference games in each of the last four seasons.

CAM LOWE | REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE | 6-6 | 215 | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. | LEWIS-PALMER H.S. | COLORADO STATE
The 2024-25 RMAC Freshman of the Year is back for year number two in Spearfish as he enters the season as the RMAC's active leader in career points per game (15.7), rebounds per game (7.9), and free throw percentage (83.7%). In 14 games he led the Yellow Jackets in scoring, reaching double figures 24 times and was above the 20-point threshold ten times. Among his top performances of the year was a career-best 28 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc to rally BHSU to an overtime victory at UCCS. Of his 28 points he scored 25 of them in the second half and the overtime period. Later on in the season he recorded one of the best 3-point shooting performances in school and conference history, going a perfect 7-of-7 from beyond the arc in a win over Adams State, marking the most made shots from distance without a miss in school history and tying the mark for most made without a miss in RMAC history. Defensively he was the top rebounder in the league as a freshman, grabbing 6.9 defensive boards per game en route to nine double digit rebounding performances and eight double-doubles.
 

Top-5 Active RMAC PPG Leaders	Top-5 Active RMAC RPG Leaders	Top-5 Active RMAC FT% Leaders
1. Cam Lowe, BHSU (15.7)	T-1. Chuol Deng, FLC (7.9)	1. Cam Lowe, BHSU (.837)
2. Xavier Martinez, UCCS (14.2)	T-1. Cam Lowe, BHSU (7.9)	2. Ta'Veus Randle, ASU (.833)
T-3. Chuol Deng, FLC (13.4)	3. Alex Romack, CSM (5.9)	3. KJ LaMonte, NMHU (.820)
T-3. Ta'Veus Randle, ASU (13.4)	4. Joel Speckman, BHSU (5.4)	4. Xavier Martinez, UCCS (.819)
5. Jude Tapia, FLC (12.2)	5. Jaylen Alexander, ASU (4.8)	5. Chuol Deng, FLC (.742)

 
JAETON HACKLEY | REDSHIRT JUNIOR | 6-1 | 195 | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. | DOUGLAS COUNTY H.S.
Hackley has been amongst the top guards in the RMAC over the last couple of seasons, working his way into the top-10 for career assists and steals per game as well as total steals in Black Hills State history. Last year he averaged 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He notched 20 games in double figures, including a pair of 20-point games that saw him score a career-best 24 points on the road at nationally-ranked Colorado School of Mines. He dished out more than five assists per game on 11 occasions, which also included a career-high of ten as he secured his first career double-double as he added 13 points against Chadron State. He ranked fourth in the RMAC in 2024-25 with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.9. On the defensive side of the ball he continued to work his way into the passing lanes and five times collected three or more steals.
 

BHSU Career APG Leaders	BHSU Career Steals Leaders	BHSU Career SPG Leaders
1. Josh McNames, 1995-99 (5.4)	1. Clay Pottoroff, 2007-11 (138)	1. Adam Moussa, 2020-23 (1.5)
2. Adam Moussa, 2020-23 (4.5)	2. Brady Bisgaard, 2011-15 (129)	2. Tyler Oliver, 2015-20 (1.3)
3. Tyler Oliver, 2015-20 (3.8)	3. Adam Moussa, 2020-23 (112)	T-3. Jaeton Hackley, 2022-Pre. (1.1)
4. Wyatt Krogman, 2014-18 (3.4)	4. AJ Fodness, 2006-09 (93)	T-3. Brady Bisgaard, 2012-15 (1.1)
5. Brady Bisgaard, 2012-15 (3.3)	5. Spencer Childress, 2007-11 (88)	T-5. Sindou Cisse, 2020-23 (0.9)
6. Connor O'Hearn, 2016-20 (2.8)	6. Dallas Sikkink, 2003-04 (79)	T-5. Trey Whitley, 2019-21 (0.9)
7. Jaeton Hackley, 2022-Pre. (2.5)	T-7. Tyler Oliver, 2015-20 (72)	T-5. Dez Stoudamire, 2017-19 (0.9)
8. Sindou Cisse, 2020-23 (2.3)	T-7. Devin Gonzales, 2003-05 (72)	T-5. Makaleb McInnis, 2017-19 (0.9)
9. Sava Dukic, 2018-23 (1.6)	9. Jaeton Hackley, 2022-Pre. (66)	T-9. Wyatt Krogman, 2014-18 (0.8)
T-10. Joel Scott, 2019-23 (1.5)	T-10. Tommy Donovan, 2018-23 (64)	T-9. Nick Ongarato, 2014-16 (0.8)
T-10. Makaleb McInnis, 2017-19 (1.5)	T-10. Cain Atkinson, 2007-11 (64)	T-9. Joey Mitchell, 2012-14 (0.8)
	T-10. Kale Kovalski, 2003-04 (64)	T-9. Ryan Allen, 2012-13 (0.8)

 
TRISTAN HURDLE | REDSHIRT SENIOR | 6-6 | 205 | HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLO. | HIGHLANDS RANCH H.S. | FORT LEWIS
Hurdle broke onto the scene last season as one of the top sixth men in the country and ended the season with NCAA Division II's top 3-point percentage (47.6%). He averaged 10.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his first season as a Yellow Jacket, shooting the ball 92-of-192 (47.9%) from the field and 70-of-147 (47.6%) from beyond the arc on the year. He enters his redshirt senior season as the RMAC's active leader in 3-pointers made with 182, and is BHSU's career leader in 3-point percentage (47.6%). A year ago, he notched 13 games in double figures, which included a career-best 27 points against Regis where he knocked down a career-high eight three pointers on 12 attempts.
 

2024-25 NCAA DII 3PT% Leaders	Top-5 Active RMAC 3PT Leaders	Top-5 BHSU Career 3PT% (Min. 50 3PT Made)
1. Tristan Hurdle, BHSU (.476)	1. Tristan Hurdle, BHSU (182)	1. Tristan Hurdle, 2024-Pre. (.476)
2. Logan McIntire, KWU (.472)	2. Jude Tapia, FLC (132)	2. Connor O'Hearn, 2016-20 (.429)
3. Jake Kosakowski, UHH (.461)	3. Jezza McKenzie, UCCS (126)	3. Casey Doolan, 2004-08 (.405)
4. Cougar Downing, ENMU (.458)	4. Xavier Martinez, UCCS (93)	4. Tate Hilgenkamp, 2014-16 (.403)
T-5. R.J. Forney, PSU (.457)	5. Ty Allred, CMU (83)	5. Randy Herman, 2006-09 (.401)
T-5. John Zhao, CNU (.457)

 
EARLY SEASON SCHEDULE
The Black Hills State men's basketball team begins the season with seven consecutive games away from home, starting with the conference challenge hosted at MSU Denver where they will face Sul Ross State on Sunday, November 16, and Texas A&M International on Monday, November 17, from the Lone Star Conference. Other early season road contests include the East/West Challenge against MSU Moorhead and Augustana, match-ups in North Dakota against Minot State and UMary, and the annual rivalry with South Dakota Mines. The first game inside of A2 Arena will be a December 4 battle against Chadron State.

2025-26 PRESEASON MEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES' POLL

Pl.	Team (1st-2nd-3rd)	Points
1.	Black Hills State (10-2-1)	183
2.	Colorado School of Mines (3-6-2)	167
3.	Colorado Mesa (1-3-6)	158
4.	UCCS (0-2-1)	144
5.	Fort Lewis (0-0-2)	143
6.	MSU Denver (0-1-2)	137
7.	Chadron State (1-0-0)	102
8.	Colorado Christian	90
9.	Adams State	86
10.	Westminster	80
11.	New Mexico Highlands	74
12.	CSU Pueblo	68
13.	Western Colorado (0-0-1)	56
14.	Regis	46
15.	South Dakota Mines (0-1-0)	41

Notes: Coaches were not permitted to vote for their team. 14 points for a 1st place vote, 13 for a 2nd, etc. 196 points maximum in men's basketball

2025-26 PRESEASON ALL-RMAC

Pos.	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
F	Ty Allred (1)	Colorado Mesa	R-Sr.	Mona, Utah
F	Chuol Deng (2)	Fort Lewis	5-Yr.	Juba, South Sudan
G	Jaeton Hackley (H)	Black Hills State	R-Jr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
G/F	Tristan Hurdle (H)	Black Hills State	R-Sr.	Highlands Ranch, Colo.
G	Cam Lowe (FoTY, 1)	Black Hills State	R-So.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
G	Xavier Martinez (2)	UCCS	Jr.	San Antonio, Texas
G	Markus Pastorcic-Straun (2)	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Toronto, Ontario
F	Alex Romack (H)	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Westfield, Ind.
G	Jude Tapia (2)	Fort Lewis	Sr.	Albuquerque, N.M.
G	Harvey White	Colorado Mesa	So.	Adelaide, Australia

Symbols in parentheses are 2024-25 All-RMAC Recognitions: FoTY was the Freshman of the Year; 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection; H - was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection.