Brigham Young-Hawaii, which returns four starters from a team that reached last season's West Regional, is ranked No. 1 in the 2009 Division II Preseason Top 25 ranking.

The Seasiders (27-2) return All-American Lucas Alves (19.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) in the post and senior point guard Virgil (J.R.) Buensuceso (11.4 ppg), a Cousy Award finalist last season.
BYU-Hawaii also features junior Marques Whippy (8.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and sophomore Tsung-Hsien (Jet) Chang (12.3 ppg), the PacWest Conference Freshman of the Year.
“This is the first time a team from Hawaii has been ranked No. 1 in our preseason Top 25,” said Gary Rubin, publisher of Division II Bulletin. “It was a difficult decision, but we felt BYU-Hawaii has the talent to carry onto the national stage. ”
Defending national champion Findlay, which returns two starters, is ranked No. 2.
Rounding out the top five are Southwest Baptist, national runner-up Cal Poly Pomona and Bellarmine.