IRVING, Texas – After compiling a 27-7 regular-season record in combination with a 15-3 league mark in 2015-16, the WKU Lady Toppers were tabbed to finish first this season in the annual C-USA women’s basketball preseason poll, according to the league’s coaches.
Complete Release (PDF)
WKU head coach
Michelle Clark-Heard, who led the Lady Toppers to the WNIT quarterfinals and has amassed a 31-5 league record in her two years in C-USA, leads a squad that will see the return of guard
Kendall Noble, the 2016 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year. Noble, the defending C-USA Player and Defensive Player of the Year, was the lone student-athlete in the NCAA with a pair of triple-doubles during the 2015-16 campaign and is a CoSIDA Academic All-American. Joining Noble on the preseason squad from WKU is forward
Tashia Brown. Brown, a first-team All-C-USA selection last season, registered 12 outings of at least 20 points and averaged nearly 18 points per game.
Defending C-USA champion Middle Tennessee placed second on the poll. Veteran head coach
Rick Insell guides a program that strung together 24 wins en route to a 15-3 conference record and a 3-0 showing in the C-USA Championship. The Blue Raiders also made their 18
th NCAA appearance. Representing Middle Tennessee on the preseason team are sophomore
Alex Johnson and senior
Ty Petty. Johnson is the defending C-USA Freshman of the Year, while Petty was the C-USA Championship MVP and set the Blue Raider single-season assist record with 195 helpers.
ODU placed third on the poll following a run to the C-USA Championship game against Middle Tennessee. Representing the Lady Monarchs on the squad is star guard
Jennie Simms. An All-C-USA First Team and All-Tournament team selection during the 2015-16 campaign, Simms led the league in scoring (21.4 points per game) and was the sole player in C-USA to register five 30+-scoring outings.
UTEP also placed a pair on the preseason team was defending regular-season champion UTEP. The Miners made a deep WNIT run behind flashy guard
Jenzel Nash and defending C-USA Sixth Player of the Year
Sparkle Taylor. Nash, a senior, scored in the double figures a team-high tying 25 times, and nabbed at least three steals in 20 contests. Taylor provided efficiency off the bench to the tune of 9.8 points per game in 17.3 minutes of action per game with 17 double-digit outings.
Rounding out the preseason team is Charlotte all-around forward
Lefty Webster. The senior averaged 13.9 points per game and was the lone player to finish league action ranked in the top 15 in steals (2.1) and blocks (.8).
Conference USA will open its 22nd women's basketball campaign on Friday, November 11, and the season will culminate with the 2017 Conference USA Basketball Championships, March 8-11 in Birmingham, Alabama. UAB will serve as the host school for the third year in a row. The women's championship game is slated for Saturday, March 11 at 5:30 EST/4:30 CST, and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
2016-17 C-USA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Lefty Webster | Charlotte | Junior | G | Norfolk, Va.
Ty Petty | Middle Tennessee | Senior | G | Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Alex Johnson | Middle Tennessee | Sophomore | F | Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Jennie Simms | Old Dominion | Junior | G | Accokeek, Md.
Jenzel Nash | UTEP | RS Senior | G | Houston, Texas
Sparkle Taylor | UTEP | Senior | G | Flint, Mich.
Tashia Brown | WKU | Junior | F | Lake Park, Ga.
*Kendall Noble | WKU | RS Senior | G | Hazard, Ky.
*Denotes Preseason Player of the Year
2016-17 C-USA PRESEASON POLL (#) first-place votes
1. WKU (6)
2. Middle Tennessee (5)
3. Old Dominion (2)
4. Charlotte
5. UTEP
6. North Texas
7. Rice
8. Southern Miss
9. UAB
10. Marshall
11. UTSA (1)
12. Louisiana Tech
13. Florida Atlantic
14. FIU