ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Webster University men's basketball team has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2026-27 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) championship, as announced in the conference's preseason coaches poll.
The Gorloks received 64 points and eight first-place votes to claim the top spot in the poll after capturing the SLIAC regular-season championship last season with a 15-1 conference record. Webster finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 23-4 overall record and returns a strong core of experienced players under head coach Chris Bunch.
Leading the way for Webster are returning All-Conference selections Charles Nelson and Adam Painter. Nelson, a senior guard, led the Gorloks in scoring last season at 18.5 points per game while knocking down 55 three-pointers and dishing out 103 assists. Painter, a graduate forward, averaged 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 53 percent from the field.
The Gorloks also return senior guards and forwards Sebastian Reed and Kendall Horton, along with senior forward Justin Ugo. Their experience will be valuable as Webster looks to defend its SLIAC regular-season title and make another run at the conference championship.
Webster adds several new faces to the roster for the upcoming season, including senior transfers Jaylen Swinney and Kendall Lavender. Swinney, a 6-foot-7 forward from St. Louis, joins the Gorloks after playing at Illinois College, while Lavender, a 6-foot-2 guard/forward from Alton, Illinois, arrives from Russell Sage College.
The Gorloks also welcome a talented group of freshmen, including forward Andre Murray, guard Britton McGhee, guard Max Reeder, guard Bryson Batton, guard Tyrique Collins-McIntyre, guard/forward Josh Shannon, forward/guard Tyre Bluford, forward Naimon Dorty and center Joshua Jitoboh.
Webster will enter the season looking to defend its regular-season conference title and remain among the top teams in the SLIAC.
Spalding University was picked second in the preseason poll with 55 points and one first-place vote, followed by MUW with 48 points. Lyon College placed fourth with 38 points, narrowly ahead of Greenville University with 37 points. Blackburn College finished sixth with 34 points, followed by Eureka College (21), Westminster College (18) and Principia College (9).
Nelson and Painter were also named to the 2026-27 SLIAC Men's Basketball Watch List, joining eight other players from around the conference.
