Brigham Young-Hawai'i men's basketball coach Ken Wagner is as discriminating a basketball fan as there is, but even Wagner, who is entering his 18th year at the BYUH helm, has to say that his 2007-'08 squad is awfully entertaining.

The Seasiders are the favorite to win the PacWest this year, garnering six of seven votes from conference coaches. Grand Canyon got the lone dissenting vote.

BYUH sophomore forward-center Lucas Alves, a first-team all-conference performer last year, was also picked as the preseason conference player of the year.

"I enjoy watching them play," Wagner said. "They play hard, they have fun and they really like each other. They're fun to watch."

The Seasiders don't play their first official game until Nov. 30, when they take to the road to face Western Oregon at the Central Washington Tournament in Ellensburg, Wash. However, they have looked impressive in scrimmages (versus the University of Hawai'i-Manoa) and exhibition play.

BYUH beat Hawai'i Select, 114-86, on Saturday behind Alves' 30 points and 13 rebounds.

Alves, who now packs 230 pounds on his 6-foot-9 frame, connected on 10 of 15 shots from the field (2 of 2 from 3-point range) and 8 of 8 from the stripe — all in just 24 minutes of play.

"He improved in every area," Wagner said. "He's worked on his ball-handling, passing and shooting, and he's gotten stronger. Last year, he lacked upper body strength but this year he's one of the strongest on the team."

That's not welcome news to the rest of the conference. As a freshman last season, the Brazilian averaged 14.5 points on better than 60 percent shooting from the field and grabbed six rebounds per game.

Alves will have plenty of support from a starting five that includes gifted frontcourt partner Jermaine Odjegba and experienced guards Paul Peterson, Corey Nielson and Trenson Akana.

"We always try to push the ball," Wagner said. "And we have good shooters, so we can play inside and outside. I think we can play with anyone."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.