When the 2024-25 Sun Belt Conference basketball preseason All-Sun Belt team was announced Monday, there initially was some good news for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns men's teams.
But the good news was followed by some bad news.
The good news was that UL’s standout post player Hosana Kitenge was voted by the coaches as a first-team All-Sun Belt performer.
Then came the unfortunate news that Kitenge has officially been declared out for the season with an injury.
Kitenge started slow in his first season with the Ragin’ Cajuns last year, before emerging as one of the league’s top inside scoring threats in Sun Belt play.
During conference games, the 6-foot-8 native of Crawley, England, averaged 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
During the second semester, Kitenge scored in double figures in all but one game.
As a team, the Cajuns were picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt standings. Arkansas State was the overwhelming favorite with 12 of the 14 first-place votes.
James Madison finished second with 170 total points, followed by Troy in third with 155 points. Just behind the Cajuns’ total of 144 in fifth was Southern Miss with 133.
Making the Kitenge news even more difficult to swallow for UL fans is longtime Cajun Kobe Julien was voted as the Preseason Player of the Year. Julien transferred to Arkansas State during the offseason.
Julien averaged 17.3 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Cajuns last season, while shooting a career-low 32.5% from 3-point land but a career high of 51.8% of his two-point attempts.
The other three first-team selections are James Madison’s Mark Freeman, Marshall’s Nate Martin and Troy’s Myles Rigsby.
Freeman, a 5-11 guard transfer from Morehead State, averaged 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists last season. He enters this season with 1,246 career points.
Martin averaged 10.8 points in his first season at Marshall last year after transferring from Texas State.
Rigsby averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds for Troy last season while hitting 41.1% from 3-point range.
There were no Cajun players voted to the second or third teams.
Sun Belt men's basketball
Preseason Player of the Year: Kobe Julien, Arkansas State
Preseason All-Sun Belt
First Team
Mark Freeman, James Madison SR | G
Kobe Julien, Arkansas State SR | F
Hosana Kitenge, Louisiana SR | F
Nate Martin, Marshall SR | F
Myles Rigsby, Troy SO | F
Second Team
Obinna Anochili-Killen, Marshall 5th Yr. | F
Tayton Conerway, Troy SR | G
C.J. Huntley, App State GR | F
Toneari Lane, Georgia State SR | G
Taryn Todd, Arkansas State SR | G
Third Team
Xavier Brown, James Madison JR | G
Andre Curbelo, Southern Miss GR | G
Tyrel Morgan, Texas State GR | F
Izaiyah Nelson, Arkansas State JR | F
Myles Tate, App State SR | G
Preseason Coaches Poll
First-plave votes in parentheses
1. Arkansas State (12) – 193
2. James Madison (1) – 170
3. Troy (1) – 155
4. UL – 144
5. Southern Miss – 133
6. App State – 122
7. Texas State – 89
T8. Georgia Southern – 85
T8. Old Dominion – 85
10. Marshall – 79
11. South Alabama – 78
12. Georgia State – 75
13. Coastal Carolina – 34
14. UL-Monroe – 28