LIVINGSTON, Ala. - With the Basketball season weeks away from beginning, the University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team is picked first in the GSC Preseason Poll.

The Tigers received nine first place votes and 99 overall points in the poll. 

UWA comes into the season after finishing atop the GSC standings in 2025-26 to capture the GSC Regular Season Championship. West Alabama made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated West Florida in the first round. 

The Tigers turned over their roster in 2026-27 as they return six players from last year's team while bringing in 10 impact transfers. Newcomers Michael Cooper, Tyler Byrd, and Michael Nwoye highlight the transfer class as the three were named to the GSC Newcomer's List.

Cooper joins West Alabama with three years of collegiate experience under his belt. The 6'6" Forward has averaged double figure points in two of his three seasons while being active on the glass. In his first collegiate season at North Platte CC, Cooper averaged 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game on 49 percent shooting and 44 percent from three. In 2024-25, Cooper played for Vincennes University and put together a statline of 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. This past season, the Forward competed with Wagner College and played in all 31 games while making five starts.

As for Byrd, he is a Division I transfer from Alabama State. Byrd is a score first guard as he's averaged double figures in all three of his collegiate seasons. Across two seasons at Northeast Mississippi CC, the Guard averaged 17.5 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting. After a stellar JUCO career, Byrd transferred to Alabama State and instantly made an impact, averaging 10.3 points on 46.6 percent shooting. 

Nwoye will bring a scoring presence down low. The sophomore Forward joins the Tigers after a successful introductory year at Cumberland University. Nwoye averaged 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game on 54.4 percent shooting. The 6'7" Forward recorded 11 double-doubles on the season, including a 31-point, 12-rebound performance against Cumberlands (KY).

With West Alabama being picked to finish first in the GSC Preseason Poll, BJ Brown Jr. being named Preseason All-GSC, and Cooper, Byrd, and Nwoye claiming GSC Newcomer Watchlist selections, excitement is at an all time high for Basketball in Livingston.