Men's Basketball October 19, 2026 Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

Montana Western Selected Seventh in 2026-27 FC Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western men's basketball program was picked seventh in the 2026 Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll, the league office announced Monday.

Rocky Mountain was selected as the preseason favorite after a 31-4 overall record and trip to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship quarterfinals.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. First place is worth 11 points, second place is worth 10 points, third place is worth nine points, and so on to the last place with one point.

The league will be awarded two automatic bids to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament. The regular-season champion will receive the first automatic bid. The second berth will be awarded to the Frontier Conference Tournament Champion. In the event the regular-season champion is the tournament champion, then the second berth will be awarded to the tournament's runner-up.

2026-27 Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll
First-place votes are listed in parentheses

Rank	Team	Points
1	Rocky Mountain (10)	119
T-2	Bellevue (1)	100
T-2	Montana Tech (1)	100
4	Carroll	93
5	MSU-Northern	85
6	Dakota State	76
7	Montana Western	58
8	Dickinson State	51
9	Mayville State	43
10	Valley City State	32
11	Providence	20
12	Bismarck State	15

2025-26 SEASON IN REVIEW
Montana Western finished 20-9 on the season and 15-7 in league play. Season highlights include a win over the 2024-25 national champion and then- #1 College of Idaho and a trip to the Frontier Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

2026-27 ROSTER NOTES
The Bulldogs return three players from the 2025-26 squad: Billy Carlson, River Hurley, and Joshua Whiteside.

Carlson was tied for the team-lead in rebounds in 2025-26 with 4.4 per game and ranked second in assists at 1.9.

Hurley shot 35.4 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from distance last season.

Whiteside was second on the team in rebounds (4.3) and fourth in scoring 6.7 on the campaign.

The men's team brought on 16 newcomers this year, including 12 transfers and four freshmen.

Bud Davis (Earlham College), Cameron Downie (Northwest), Gabe Hatler (MSU-Billings), Javonne Nesbit (Oklahoma Christian), Karson Peffer (Montana Tech), Javin Tindall (William Penn), and Marje Windfield (Multnomah) all join the Bulldogs from four-year colleges or universities.

Naeem Colston (Cochise College), Jace Hill (Miles CC), Eli Hunter (Spokane CC), Matthew Kinzeler (Dawson CC) and Aries Lewis (Dawson CC) all come to Dillon from junior college programs

Four freshman round out the men's team this year: Josiah Boone, Deron Lear, Braxtyn Turney, and Brodee Zahn.

COACHES CORNER
Head Coach J.C. Isakson is set for his first year at the helm of the men's program. Joining him on the sideline are Gary Haverfield, Ryne Freeman, and 2026 UMW grad Jacob Ankeny.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Bulldogs open the 2026-27 season with an exhibition against NCAA DI member Idaho State Friday (10/23). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT. The regular-season gets started Oct. 30-31 when the team hosts the Western Classic, where they will face off against Park Gilbert (10/30) and College of Idaho (10/31).

For complete coverage of UMW Men's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umw_mbb (Instagram), @UMW_MBB (X), and @Montana Western Men's Basketball (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#4 Billy Carlson: G; 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior

#2 River Hurley: F; 6' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore

#5 Joshua Whiteside: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#0 Bud Davis: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#1 Javin Tindall: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#6 Marje Windfield: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#9 Eli Hunter: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#10 Jace Hill: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#11 Aries Lewis: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#12 Josiah Boone: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#13 Gabe Hatler: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#14 Cameron Downie: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#4 Billy Carlson
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#2 River Hurley
: 6' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore
: F

#5 Joshua Whiteside
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#0 Bud Davis
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#1 Javin Tindall
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#6 Marje Windfield
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#9 Eli Hunter
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#10 Jace Hill
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#11 Aries Lewis
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#12 Josiah Boone
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#13 Gabe Hatler
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#14 Cameron Downie
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G