Conference USA tips off its 26th men's and women's basketball campaigns on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Leading up to the first game, C-USA will highlight top players to watch hailing from each of the league's 14 men's and 14 women's teams.

The season culminates in the 2021 Air Force Reserve C-USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The 12-team, single-elimination tournament runs through March 10-13 with a pair of NCAA automatic bids on the line. 

CHARLOTTE
Redshirt senior guard Jordan Shepherd | Asheville, N.C.
After sitting out the 2018-19 season as a transfer from Oklahoma, Shepherd made an immediate impact in his first season in a Niners uniform. He ranked 12th in C-USA scoring average (14.0), recording 22 double-figure games and four 20-point contests in 27 starts. Shepherd averaged 4.1 assists and dished out a team-best 112, good for fourth in the league.
 
Charlotte senior guard Mariah Linney | Goose Creek, S.C.
Linney is coming off a year in which she led the Niners in minutes played (969), 3-pointers made (55) and 3-pointers attempted (189), while starting all 30 games. She reached double-figure scoring 12 times boosted by a career-best 55 treys in a single season. Linney’s career attempts (387) and makes (123) currently rank seventh and eighth in program history, respectively.
 
FIU
Junior guard Antonio Daye, Jr. | Durham, N.C.
Daye started 31 games for the Panthers in 2019-20. He paced the team with 1.8 steals, 4.9 assists and 28.8 minutes per contest. The guard was one of four players to average double figures, and the only one of the four rostered on this season’s squad. Daye shot 41.4 percent from the floor, 33.3 from the perimeter and 72.6 from the free throw line.
 
Senior guard Jiselle Thomas | Norwalk, Ohio
Thomas’ junior campaign saw her lead the team in points per game (11.1), field goals made (118), free throws made per game (2.5) and steals per game (1.2). She appeared in 28 contests while making 15 starts. In January, the Ohio native became the fifth player in program history to record a triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals vs. Middle Tennessee), and the first since 2002.
 
FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Senior forward Jailyn Ingram | Madison, GA
Ingram finished the 2019-20 campaign ninth in scoring in school history as he became the 13^th member of Florida Atlantic’s 1,000 point club in February. In 30 appearances and 22 starts, Ingram registered a team-best 12.0 points and 5.4 boards per game to pair with an average 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals.
 
Sophomore guard Lotta Vehka-Aho | Vimpeli, Finland
A two-time C-USA Freshman of the Week in 2019-20, Vehka-Aho became the first Owl to collect a pair of the league’s weekly nods in a single season. She started 24 games and led the team in assists (62), while ranking second in scoring (12.6) and steals (39). The Finland product was one of four newcomers to rank in the conference’s top 20 in scoring production.
 
LOUISIANA TECH
Senior guard Amorie Archibald | Deltona, FL
Louisiana Tech returns two of its top three scorers from last season, including veteran Archibald. The team captain has made 74 career starts as a Bulldog and leads all returners in career points (889) and assists (283). He averaged 11.3 points per game in 2019-20, shooting 42 percent from the floor, 38 percent from three and 84 percent from the foul line.

Senior guard Amber Dixon | Arlington, TX
A preseason all-conference selection, Dixon started all 30 games last year for the Lady Techsters, one of only two players on the roster to make every start. She averaged 12.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting at a 40-percent clip from the floor. Dixon totaled a team-high 89 assists, 46 steals and 11 blocks, while scoring in double figures 21 times.
 
MARSHALL
Senior guard Jarrod West | Clarksburg, W.V.
West returns for his senior season after being named to the All-Conference USA Third Team and All-Defensive squad. He led the league with 65 steals (2.0) and anchored the Thundering Herd offense with 14.2 points a contest, including an average 5.8 treys. West started each of Marshall’s 32 games and led C-USA in total minutes (1,153). West garnered preseason all-conference honors in November.
 
Sophomore guard Savannah Wheeler | Catlettsburg, KY
Wheeler led Marshall in scoring at 13.4 points per game and was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team this past season. The guard saw action in all 30 games, starting 17, and was the only freshman in 2019-20 to be nationally ranked in the top 40 in free throws made (T-37th, 130) and free throw percentage (40th, 83.9). Along with scoring, Wheeler also led the Herd in steals (41) and assists (83).
 
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Senior guard Donovan Sims | Murfreesboro, TN
The hometown product made all 31 starts at point guard for the Blue Raiders, averaging 8.8 points, 3.1 boards and 3.2 assists. His 100 assists and 46 steals ranked first on the team. Sims tallied 11 double-digit scoring games with three 20+ point contests.
 
Sophomore guard Anastasia Hayes | Murfreesboro, TN
The 2020 C-USA co-Preseason Player of the Year made a name for herself in her first year in the league. The reigning C-USA Newcomer of the Year averaged 18.7 points per game, which was second in the league standings. She was also among national leaders for scoring (18.7), assists (127), field goals made (194), free throws made (138), and minutes (37.1).
 
NORTH TEXAS
Redshirt senior guard Javion Hamlet | Memphis, TN
The point guard and reigning C-USA Player of the Year led the Mean Green program in 2020 to its first regular season league title in 31 years. Hamlet also led C-USA in assists (95), assists per game (5.3), assist/turnover ratio (2.7) and was fourth in scoring average (17.9) during league play a year ago. In addition to earning the sport’s top honor, he was crowned C-USA’s Male Athlete of the Year in July.
 
Sophomore guard N’Yah Boyd | Mesquite, TX
Boyd had a breakout campaign for North Texas in 2019-20. The newcomer made appearances in all 31 games with 19 starts to her name. The point guard muscled an average 9.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Her 94 dimes on the year led all Mean Green players. Boyd reached 14 double-digit performances, four of those with 22 points or more.
 
OLD DOMINION
Senior guard Malik Curry | Wilmington, DE
Curry started all 32 games this past season, leading the Monarchs with 13.4 points and 4.0 assists per outing. He ranked fourth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.69) and fifth in the league for total assists (127). His 21 double-digit scoring outputs were highlighted by a career-high 30-point explosion versus UTSA. In conference play, his scoring average increased to a league-best 16.6 points a night.
 
Junior forward Amari Young | North Augusta, SC
Young earned second-team All-C-USA and All-Defensive Team honors in 2019-20, and was recently listed to this year’s preseason unit. She averaged 10.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, ranking second in the conference in steals and seventh in rebounding. The forward was one of two Monarchs to make all 30 starts last season with a team-high 28.6 minutes per game.
 
RICE
Junior guard Chris Mullins | Grand Prairie, TX
Mullins was voted C-USA All-Freshman two seasons ago and last year was one of four Owls to play in all 32 games. In 31 starts, he put up 7.3 points and 2.6 boards per contest, and landed in double-figure scoring nine times.
 
Senior center Nancy Mulkey | Cypress, TX
Mulkey was listed to the preseason Naismith Trophy and Lisa Leslie Award watch lists, both honoring top players in the women’s game. She was also named the C-USA co-Preseason Player of the Year. The back-to-back C-USA Defensive Player of the Year ranked fifth in the NCAA last season in blocks per game (3.21) and earned spots on the All-C-USA first team and All-Defensive Team for a second-straight year.
 
SOUTHERN MISS
Senior guard LaDavius Draine | Calhoun City, MS
Draine started 26 of 31 games for Southern Miss, averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. He scored 20+ points in seven contests, including five against C-USA competition. The guard made his first 23 free-throw attempts at the start of the league slate for the fifth-longest streak in school history. Draine finished the year 82.8 percent from the charity stripe and ranked second in C-USA play at 87.8 percent.
 
Junior guard Daishai Almond | Athens, GA
Almond competed in all but one game for the Lady Eagles in 2019-20 (29) and started in all but two where she saw the floor. The Georgia product led her team in assists in 19 games and had nine games with five or more dimes. She reached new career highs throughout the year in assists (11), rebounds (9), steals (5), blocks (2) and minutes (37). Her 4.1 assists per game led all Southern Miss players.
 
UAB
Junior guard Tavin Lovan | Franklin, KY
Lovan made all 32 starts for the Blazers as a sophomore. He topped all UAB players with 13.2 points, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 29.3 minutes per game. The guard found himself in double figures in 24 games with four outings of 20+ points. Lovan has shot 53 percent from the floor in both seasons at UAB.
 
Senior center Zakyia Weathersby | Collins, MS
Weathersby made her first career start in February and competed in 28 games overall for UAB. She ranked first on the team in field goal percentage (66.1) and tied for the lead in blocks (31). The center averaged 7.5 points and 3.9 boards in 12.7 minutes a game. Weathersby compiled double-digit scoring numbers eight times and had the team’s only 30-point performance on the year.
 
UTEP
Senior forward Bryson Williams | Fresno, CA
The preseason all-conference honoree was tabbed to the 2020 All-C-USA first team and the NABC DI All-District team, marking the first UTEP player since 2011 to earn the honor. The 6-8 forward averaged 17.8 points per game, third in C-USA, and 7.2 rebounds, good for fifth in the league. He was the only C-USA player ranked in the top five in both categories. He also paced UTEP in blocked shots (29).
 
Sophomore guard Katia Gallegos | El Paso, TX
Gallegos was deemed one of 20 players named to the 2021 Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watch List. The El Paso native returns for UTEP after leading the team in assists (154), assists per game (5.1), steals (52) and steals per game (1.7) as a freshman. Gallegos also led C-USA in assists (154) in her rookie campaign, averaging 5.1 per contest, while she was third on the team in scoring average (9.6).
 
UTSA
Senior guard Jhivvan Jackson | Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Jackson is a two-time first-team All-C-USA selection. In 2019-20, he shattered the C-USA scoring record with 26.8 points per game, which also ranked second in the nation. He broke UTSA season and career scoring marks, while having the most prolific scoring season in league games in C-USA history. He enters this year with the top career scoring average in school history, and second-best in C-USA (22.8).
 
Sophomore guard Mikayla Woods | Pflugerville, TX
Woods was an All-Freshman selection in 2019-20 and made program history when she won C-USA Freshman of the Week three times. In 21 games and 18 starts, the newcomer registered an average 15.0 points and 5.8 boards, while compiling 2.4 assists and 2.7 steals per game. She led all Roadrunners in scoring, scoring average, free throws made and steals.
 
WKU
Junior center Charles Bassey | Lagos, Nigeria
The Naismith Trophy Watch List member enters this season as the nation's active leader in career rebounding average (9.8). Last season, he averaged 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks in 10 games before suffering a leg injury. He became the second player in C-USA history to win both C-USA Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season in 2018-19.
 
Senior forward Raneem Elgedawy | Alexandria, Egypt
After being named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watch List, Elgedawy was also labeled a Katrina McClain Award candidate. She averaged a double-double with 17.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest last season, and was named to the All-C-USA first team. Elgedawy recorded a double-double in 17 of 29 games, tying for the sixth-most by a Lady Topper in program history.