OVC Basketball Media Day Powered by CenterPoint Energy: Eastern Illinois

OVC Basketball Media Day Powered by CenterPoint Energy: Eastern Illinois

• Preseason Releases: Men, Women | Media Day Recap

The Eastern Illinois women's team was picked fifth while the men's team was tabbed 10th in the 2025-26 OVC Preseason Poll voted on by league head coaches and communications directors.

The predictions were released as part of the OVC Basketball Media Day powered by Centerpoint Energy, which was held on October 14.
 
The women's team is coming off a season where they were 15-5 in OVC play. This season they had players Lalani Ellis and Meioshe Mason named to the preseason Players to Watch list for the OVC. Ellis is the Panthers returning scoring leader at 7.7 points per game last season and she is one of three starters back from last season joining Sydney-James Desroches (6.7 ppg) and Lyric Johnson (2.4 ppg). Mason is a transfer from Middle Tennessee and at 6'4" will give the Panthers an impressive front line that includes 6'10" Texas transfer Abbie Boutilier and 6'4" redshirt freshman Olivia Thostenson. 

The men's team returns four players from last year's roster with starters Kooper Jacobi and Zion Fruster along with top reserve guard Malik Olafioye.    Sophomore Terry McMorris, who came on late in the season, also returns from last season's roster. Jacobi averaged 11.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season leading the OVC in rebounding. Fruster also averaged in double figures at 11.6 points per game knocking down 35 percent from 3-point range.

The EIU teams will look to be one of eight teams in each gender to qualify for the 2026 OVC Basketball Championships, which will be played March 4-7 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. For more information on the championship, click here.

BELOW VIDEOS
Head Men's Coach Marty Simmons
Graduate Forward Kooper Jacobi
Head Women's Coach Marqus McGlothan
Junior Forward Ella Lune