Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State men’s basketball guards Layne Taylor and Tameron Ferguson were named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team, and the Red Wolves were picked first in the preseason coaches poll, the league announced Monday.
Ferguson arrives in Jonesboro after two seasons at Augustana, where he earned NSIC Player of the Year and First Team All-NSIC recognition in 2025-26. The St. Cloud, Minnesota, native was the only NCAA Division II player to average at least 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds last season, posting 20.0 points on a 52.3 (225-for-430) percentage from the field alongside 6.5 assists over 29 games.
He led the NSIC with 188 total assists and ranked second with a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ferguson also earned NABC All-American, NABC All-District and D2CCA All-Region honors.
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Taylor is set to make his Arkansas State debut following seasons at Murray State and Central Arkansas. The Farmington native made 26 starts over 31 appearances in 2025-26 and averaged 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists to guide the Racers to an NIT appearance. He finished the season with 101 assists against 30 turnovers for a 3.37 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranked 13th nationally and led the Ohio Valley Conference.
As a freshman at Central Arkansas, Taylor started in all 20 appearances and led the Bears with 17.4 points per game while converting a team-best 64 three-pointers en route to 2024-25 ASUN All-Freshman Team honors.
The Scarlet & Black claimed the top spot in the preseason coaches poll for the second time in three seasons. Last season, A-State placed second in the conference standings and secured a third consecutive 20-win season. The Red Wolves achieved the feat with a program-record and conference-best 83.0 scoring offense.
2026 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
- Arkansas State (3) – 182
- James Madison (9) – 176
- Troy – 143
- South Alabama – 136
- Marshall – 125
- Louisiana – 117
- Southern Miss (2) – 109
- App State – 105
- Georgia Southern – 85
- Georgia State – 79
- Old Dominion – 76
- Louisiana Tech – 64
- Coastal Carolina – 58
- ULM – 15
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
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