LA MIRADA, Calif. --- The PacWest Conference announced its preseason all-conference selections on Wednesday afternoon, just over one week prior to the launch of the 2021 conference basketball season.
Biola Men's Basketball accounted for two of the six spots on the men's preseason all-conference team with both Michael Bagatourian and Chris Rossow earning the recognition.
The preseason All-PacWest teams are nominated and selected by the head coaches in the conference and are intended to indicate who the top players in the league should be when games get underway.
For Bagatourian, this selection indicates the coaches in the league expect him to follow up on a 2019-20 season where he earned his first All-PacWest recognition. The senior ended last year with 488 points, scoring 15.7 points-per-game to lead the team. He added 7.5 rebounds-per-game which was good enough to land him on the All-PacWest second team.
Over the course of the season he had many big moments, including surpassing 1,000 career points and hitting a playoff game-winner over bitter rival Azusa Pacific. He will likely be a nightly double-double threat again in 2021.
Chris Rossow had a solid regular season in 2019-20, but he captured the attention of the entire conference with his incredible run of play at the 2020 PacWest Basketball Championships. Rossow was the star of the tournament, leading Biola all the way to the championship game while scoring 27 points-per-game, 6.3 assists-per-game, 4.3 rebounds-per-game and 2.3 steals-per-game during the three tournament games.
That memory is clearly still etched in the minds of the Eagles' competition as Rossow earned preseason all-conference recognition for the first time. He was Biola's leading three-point shooter last year with 40 triples and ended his season with 13.7 points-per-game, 3.7 rebounds-per-game and 112 assists. Just like Bagatourian, Rossow surpassed 1,000 career points during 2019-20.
The PacWest Conference office also announced its preseason coaches' polls over the last two days. Biola Men's Basketball was selected to finish fourth in the conference and Biola Women's Basketball was picked to finish sixth.
Preseason All-PacWest Teams
Men
Kaden Anderson, Point Loma (Player of the Year)
Stefan Milivojevic, Academy of Art
Aamondae Coleman, Fresno Pacific
Michael Bagatourian, Biola
Mackenzie Brock, Point Loma
Chris Rossow, Biola
Women
Amy Baum, Hawaii Pacific (Player of the Year)
Cara Liggins, Point Loma
Laura Pranger, Azusa Pacific
Michaela VanderKlugt, Concordia Irvine
Jessica Malazarte, Fresno Pacific
Ally Bates, Hawaii Pacific
Alysha Marcucci, Hawaii Pacific
Preseason Coaches' Polls.
Men
1. Point Loma
2. Azusa Pacific
3. Concordia Irvine
4. Biola
5. Chaminade
6. Fresno Pacific
7. Academy of Art
8. Hawaii Hilo
9. Hawaii Pacific
10. Dominican
11. Holy Names
Women
1. Hawaii Pacific
2. Azusa Pacific
3. Concordia Irvine
4. Point Loma
5. Fresno Pacific
6. Biola
7. Dominican
8. Academy of Art
9. Hawaii Hilo
10. Chaminade
11. Holy Names
