GREENVILLE, S.C. – Lees-McRae men's basketball was voted to finish 14th in the 2026-27 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Preseason Poll. Justin Bramao, Yerald Mieses, and Ira Wilson were named Players to Watch for the upcoming season.
UNC Pembroke received nine first-place votes and 219 total points for the top spot in the preseason rankings. Chowan followed with four first-place votes and Young Harris collected the remaining three first-place votes for third place. Emmanuel and North Greenville rounded out the top five for the league rankings.
Lees-McRae men's basketball kicks off its season with an exhibition at UNC Greensboro on November 11 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Bobcats open their home slate on November 21 against Brevard on the McNair & Debi Tornow Court.
Players to Watch
- Ira Wilson, So., Forward, Angier, North Carolina
- Yerald Mieses, Sr., Guard, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic
- Justin Bramao, Sr., Guard/Forward, Bridgetown, Barbados
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Preseason Poll:
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
UNC Pembroke (9) |
219 |
| 2 |
Chowan (4) |
201 |
| 3 |
Young Harris (3) |
197 |
| 4 |
Emmanuel |
172 |
| 5 |
North Greenville |
158 |
| 6 |
Barton |
150 |
| 7 |
Francis Marion |
129 |
| 8 |
Mount Olive |
115 |
| 9 |
Southern Wesleyan |
103 |
| 10 |
Belmont Abbey |
102 |
| 11 |
King |
99 |
| 12 |
Converse |
95 |
| 13 |
Ferrum |
61 |
| 14 |
Lees-McRae |
53 |
| 15 |
Shorter |
51 |
| 16 |
Erskine |
15 |
