SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? After sharing the Southern Conference regular season crown and winning the league tournament title last season, Chattanooga has been picked by the league’s coaches to win the 2007-08 SoCon women’s basketball championship. The coaches also selected a 10-member preseason all-Southern Conference team.
Chattanooga collected seven first-place votes and 79 points overall to edge out Western Carolina (three first-place votes and 75 total points) for the top spot in the poll. Davidson and UNC Greensboro were predicted to finish in third and fourth places, respectively, followed by Georgia Southern in fifth place and Appalachian State in sixth. Wofford, Elon, Furman and College of Charleston rounded out the poll.
Chattanooga senior Alex Anderson, the 2006-07 SoCon Player of the Year and tournament MVP, headlines the all-conference squad and has been tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year. A forward from Stone Mountain, Ga., Anderson led the Southern Conference is both scoring (20.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 rpg) during her junior season.
Joining Anderson on the preseason all-conference team are Chattanooga teammates Laura Hall and Brooke Hand. Western Carolina, which shared the regular season championship with Chattanooga last season, also placed three players on the preseason team. Guards Monique Dawson and Chevon Keith, along with center Brooke Johnson, are the Lady Catamounts’ honorees.
Kristen Boone (UNC Greensboro), Tiffany Brown (Georgia Southern), Katie Hamilton (Davidson) and Whitney Tossie (Appalachian State) have also been selected to the all-conference squad.
The 2007-08 season begins on Friday, November 9 when Western Carolina hosts Detroit, Georgia Southern travels to Jacksonville, Chattanooga visits Austin Peay, Davidson takes on Georgia Tech in Atlanta and Elon hosts Penn in the ISES Cancer Awareness Tipoff.
The 2008 Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament returns to the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C. and is scheduled to be played March 6-10.
Coaches’ Preseason All-Conference Team
Alex Anderson, Chattanooga
Kristen Boone, UNC Greensboro
Tiffany Brown, Georgia Southern
Monique Dawson, Western Carolina
Laura Hall, Chattanooga
Brooke Hand, Chattanooga
Katie Hamilton, Davidson
Brooke Johnson, Western Carolina
Chevon Keith, Western Carolina
Whitney Tossie, Appalachian State
Preseason Player of the Year: Alex Anderson, Chattanooga
Coaches’ Preseason Poll
1. Chattanooga (7) 79
2. Western Carolina (3) 75
3. Davidson 60
4. UNC Greensboro 54
5. Georgia Southern 52
6. Appalachian State 33
7. Wofford 31
8. Elon 25
9. Furman 24
10. College of Charleston 17