Four members of the Valparaiso University men's basketball team were recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference on Wednesday as part of the league's preseason Players to Watch list for the 2026-2027 season.
 
Junior Justus McNair (Joliet, Ill. / Joliet West) joined sophomores JT Pettigrew (Lisle, Ill. / Bolingbrook), Carter Hopoi (Tauranga, New Zealand / Mount Maunganui College NZ) and Rakim Chaney (Rockford, Ill. / Rockford Auburn [212 Sports Academy]) on the watch list.
 
Pettigrew, who was also tabbed to the Blue Ribbon Magazine Preseason All-MVC Team, the Basket Under Review Preseason All-MVC First Team and Lindy's Preseason All-MVC First Team, became the first Valpo freshman to earn all-conference honors since Lubos Barton in 1999 as he was selected to the All-MVC Third Team last season. He was the MVC Freshman of the Year Runner-up and achieved all-freshman team status. A four-time MVC Freshman of the Week, Pettigrew averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while playing in all 33 contests and making 31 starts. He played his best basketball down the stretch, averaging 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds over the final month of the season. Pettigrew ranked third in the league in rebounding average in MVC play.
 
Chaney, who was also named to Lindy's Preseason All-MVC Second Team and the Basket Under Review Preseason All-MVC Third Team, averaged 10.3 points per game while totaling 92 assists and 46 steals during his freshman season, playing in all 33 games and making 31 starts. He started all 20 league games, averaging 9.8 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per game while totaling 55 assists and 23 steals. He ranked third in program history for steals by a freshman, sixth in program history for assists by a freshman and made 60 3-pointers, the sixth-most by a freshman in program history. Chaney was in the top 10 in the MVC in steals per game, made 3s per game and assist-to-turnover ratio and was in the top 15 in the league in assists per game and 3-point percentage. He was a multi-time MVC Freshman of the Week.
 
Hopoi played in all 33 games and made two starts last season. He shot 50 percent from the field and blocked 11 shots in league play. Hopoi scored a season-high 14 points, all in the second half and overtime, and tied a personal best with seven rebounds to lift Valpo to a Jan. 31 win at Indiana State. He had 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting with seven rebounds on Feb. 6 vs. Evansville, tying a career high on the glass.
 
McNair was a member of both the All-Bench Team and Most-Improved Team last season, the league's only player to make both units. He played in all 31 games and made three starts while averaging 7.9 points per game overall and 8.9 in MVC play. McNair scored in double figures on 13 occasions including a season-high 21 points on Nov. 19 at Cleveland State. He scored a conference-high 17 points on Jan. 21 vs. Southern Illinois and Feb. 3 at Bradley.
 
The Beacons will host Olivet Nazarene in an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center before the season opener on Monday, Nov. 2 vs. Western Illinois at 7 p.m. at the ARC. Single-game tickets are available now at tickets.valpoathletics.com. Valpo was picked fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, its highest preseason rating since joining the league.