GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's basketball team was chosen to finish fourth in the 2026-2027 Little East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Western Connecticut State University received five first place votes and 61 points to finish first, followed by Keene State with four first-place votes (60 points) in second. UMass Dartmouth is slated to finish third with 47 points and was followed closely by the Huskies in fourth with 43 points.
Led by third-year head coach
Mikey Coppersmith, Southern Maine will look to a balance of returning talent and new faces for the 2026-2027 season. In his second season with the Huskies, Coppersmith led his team to a 16-10 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Little East Conference action – the most wins in conference play in program history. Earning the fourth seed in the Little East Conference tournament, Southern Maine qualified for the conference playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
Southern Maine returns a significant corps of its roster a season ago, including starters juniors
Evans Sterling (New Sharon, Maine/Mount Blue) and
Noah Dowling (North Narrabeen, Australia/Saint Augustine's) and sophomore
Gabe Lash (Waldoboro, Maine/Medomak Valley) and key contributors sophomores Carter and
Cohen Galley (Owls Head, Maine/Kents Hill).
Playing and starting in each of USM's 36 games, Sterling is the Huskies top returning scorer averaging 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Sterling shot 43.8 percent from three-point range, and 59.0 percent from the field. Earning Maine Men's Basketball Coaches & Writers Association (MMBCWA) All-Rookie Team honors,
Carter Galley averaged 23.8 minutes per game coming off the bench in all 26 games, and averaged 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assist per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor.
The Huskies' top three-point shooter a season ago shooting 43.3 percent (55-for-127) from long-range, Dowling averaged 11.5 points per game and snagged a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. Lash played and started each game as a rookie, and averaged 9.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Cohen Galley also played in 26 games averaging just under 17 minutes per game. Averaging 6.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, Galley shot 43.7 percent (52-for-119) from the field.
The Huskies start their 2025-2026 at home on Tuesday, November 12 (7:30 pm) against University of New England. Southern Maine's first Little East Conference game is an away contest at UMass Boston on Wednesday, December 3 (7:30 pm).
| 2026-27 Little East Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (FPV) |
| Position |
Team |
Points |
First Place Votes |
| 1. |
Western Connecticut |
61 points |
5 |
| 2. |
Keene State |
60 points |
4 |
| 3. |
UMass Dartmouth |
47 points |
|
| 4 |
Southern Maine |
43 points |
|
| 5. |
Rhode Island College |
35 points |
|
| 6. |
Eastern Connecticut |
30 points |
|
| 7. |
UMass Boston |
20 points |
|
| 8. |
Plymouth State |
17 points |
|
| 9. |
VTSU Castleton |
11 points |
|
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