KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Newman men's and women's basketball teams were both selected 14th in the MIAA preseason coaches and media polls, the conference announced Tuesday.

The Jets men's team received 14 points in the coaches poll and 41 points in the media poll, placing 14th in both rankings. Washburn is the preseason favorite after collecting 12 of 14 first-place votes in the coaches poll and all 30 first-place votes in the media poll.

On the women's side, Newman earned 17 points in the coaches poll and 33 points in the media poll, also finishing 14th in both preseason forecasts.
Central Missouri was selected as the favorite to win the women's league title after garnering 10 first-place votes in the coaches poll and 16 first-place votes in the media poll.

After both Jets programs were picked 14th in the conference's preseason polls, Coaches RJ Allen and Amy Briggs met with reporters Tuesday to discuss their expectations for the season ahead.

Entering the season with high expectations, Briggs believes this year's squad is "probably our best team that we've been able to put together at Newman so far." The Jets return MIAA All-Conference player Jaeden McMillan, whom Briggs said she "finds a new way to score the ball." Briggs also states the adversity and injuries her team went throughout the years and is "just excited for what we can do and what we continue to bring for Newman into the conference."

While the women's team brings a core with key veterans, the men's team has a brings new faces into its lineup. Coach Allen talked about the struggles of last season, and heading into the new year with a whole new group of players. "We acknowledge last year was a tough year for our program" Coach Allen said, as he talked about what the program needs to for the upcoming season. "It starts with just your foundation, your core values, your beliefs" says Allen, "it's a really talented group and just really eager to see where we stand"

Despite the preseason projections, both Newman programs will look to climb the standings during the 2026-27 season. The Jets enter the year seeking to exceed expectations in one of NCAA Division II's most competitive basketball conferences.