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Chuol Deng vs. Carson Newman
Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications
Chuol Deng (11) rises up in the post against the (RV) Eagles at the George W. Jenkins Field House (Nov. 3, 2024)

Deng, Tapia highlight preseason All-RMAC teams, Skyhawks voted for fifth-place finish in league’s preseason coaches poll

10/21/2025 3:00:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fifth-year senior Chuol Deng and transfer senior Jude Tapia were both named to the 2025-26 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team, while Fort Lewis men's basketball was voted to finish fifth in the league on the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Black Hills State University was tabbed the preseason favorite, earning 10 first-place votes, two second-place votes, and one third-place vote en route to 183 total points. Colorado School of Mines checked in at No. 2 (167 pts), followed by Colorado Mesa University (158 pts), University of Colorado Colorado Springs (144 pts), and Fort Lewis (143 pts) to round out the top five. FLC picked up two third-place votes. Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
 
The Skyhawks ran up a 19-12 overall record last season alongside a 12-8 mark in conference play to finish sixth overall in the league. Making its fifth consecutive appearance in the RMAC Tournament, the Skyhawks topped Colorado Mesa University (19-10, 13-7 RMAC), 89-65, in the quarterfinals up in Grand Junction, Colo., before suffering a 69-62 loss to Regis University (18-14, 14-6 RMAC) in the semifinals over in Golden, Colo.
 
Fort Lewis brought in nine offseason acquisitions, consisting of two NCAA Division I transfers in Massal Diouf and Jaxon Smith, captured the reigning RMAC scoring leader in Jude Tapia from Adams State University, added two other collegiate transfers in Yorgio Golesis and Donald Bangham, Jr., and signed four talented freshmen in Tate Ziemkiewicz, Garrett Barger, Ty Yoder, and Daniel Steverson.
 
Deng, a six-foot-seven, two-hundred-and-eight-pound forward, captured Second-Team All-RMAC honors last season after averaging 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 assists per game alongside 30 blocks while firing off at 40.1 percent from the field, 32.5 percent from deep, and 74.2 percent at the free throw line. Deng finished in double-figures 21 times, including nine double-doubles, and went off for a career-high 30 points in a come-from-behind win on the road at UCCS (Jan. 25, 2025). In addition, Deng also posted a monster, 21-rebound, 16-point double-double in the Skyhawks' RMAC semifinal loss to Regis.
 
Tapia, a five-foot-eleven, one-hundred-and-seventy-five-pound guard out of Albuquerque High School and Albuquerque, N.M., will make his Skyhawks debut as a senior this season, having spent his last two seasons with the Grizzlies over at Adams State University. Last season, Tapia led the RMAC in scoring, putting up 17.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game whilst shooting 45.3 percent from the floor, 43.1 percent from deep, and 81.8 percent at the charity stripe. Tapia went for double digits on 21 occasions, posting 12, 20+ point performances and two 30+ point games, including a career-high 36 points on the road at Midwestern State University (Nov. 16, 2024).
 
The RMAC's preseason teams are determined by placing returning players in order of head coaches' voting from the league's 2024-25 All-RMAC Teams. In total, the 2025 Preseason All-RMAC Basketball Team features two returning First-Team selections, four second-team selections, and three honorable mentions.
 
Fort Lewis will begin its 2025-26 campaign with a conference challenge, taking on Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, N.M., on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. before taking on Western New Mexico University the following night, Saturday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m.
 
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