The following was written by Keith Jarrett, who retired in 2015 from his position of senior writer at the Asheville Citizen-Times after a nearly 30-year career.
 
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Southern Conference women’s basketball 2021-22 season will begin with a familiar look – six teams expected to chase after preseason favorites Mercer and Samford.

Those two programs have combined to win eight regular-season and tournament championships over the previous four seasons, and a pair of preseason polls have the Bears and Bulldogs at the top of the league once again.

At the SoCon Basketball Media Day presented by Ingles at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville on Tuesday, Mercer was selected as a slight favorite to edge Samford in both the coaches’ and media polls.

Coach Susie Gardner’s Mercer program won the regular-season title in 2017-18 and again the following season and claimed the tournament crowns in both of those seasons as well before winning its third tourney championship in four years last season.

Samford was the pick to finish second in both polls after winning its second straight regular-season title in 2020-21 and also claiming the 2019-20 tournament crown. Following is a capsule look at each SoCon women’s team, in order of predicted finish in the preseason coaches’ poll.
Mercer Bears
Coach: Susie Gardner (372-295 in 22 seasons, 196-148 in 11 seasons with the Bears)
Last season: 19-7 (10-3, second in the SoCon)
Outlook: Veteran team that knows how to win is chasing program’s fifth regular-season title in seven seasons and fourth tournament crown in five years
Three seniors selected to the preseason all-conference squad include versatile forward Jaron Dougherty (15.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg)
Guard Amoria Neal-Tysor (16.8 ppg, 50 assists) is a dynamic scorer
Wing Shannon Titus (13 ppg, 7.2 rpg) is a two-time league defensive player of the year
Top Newcomer: Miami transfer Endia Banks is a senior guard who finished her ACC career ranked in the top 10 in school history in assists
Coaches’ Preseason Poll: First in the SoCon
Coach’s Quote: “We have the bulk of our players returning, but this conference is going to be very strong this season. I like being recognized as the favorite for what we have done in the past, but it is the preseason. We have four returning starters and three grad transfers, so right now I’m not sure who our starting lineup is going to be. That’s a good problem to have.”
Samford Bulldogs
Coach: Carley Kuhns (98-54 in five seasons, 32-25 in two years with Bulldogs)
Last season: 14-11 (11-2, first in SoCon)
Outlook: Defending regular-season champions ready to repeat with three returning starters who are preseason all-conference selections
Junior guard Andrea Cournoyer (18.4 ppg) was selected as Preseason Player of the Year
Senior center Natalie Armstrong (12.7 rpg, 6.3 rpg) is a strong post player
Junior forward Annie Ramil averaged 11 points and eight rebounds last season
Top Newcomer: Freshman Sussy Ngulefac is a 6-3 center with a lot of potential
Coaches’ Poll: Second in the SoCon
Coach’s Quote: “We lost Shauntai Battle to a knee injury early (15 ppg in four games before the injury) who should be fully cleared (in early November) and we’re excited to have her back ... We’ve come in and raised the expectations for this program. We’ve gone from the hunter to the hunted, and we have to have the competitiveness to handle that. We’re excited to see this team face that and navigate those obstacles.”
Wofford Terriers
Coach: Jimmy Garrity (133-104 in eight seasons, 67-78 in five years with Terriers)
Last season: 13-11 (7-7, fourth in SoCon)
Outlook: Terriers hope to build off last season’s run to the SoCon tournament title game
Junior forward Lilly Hatton (10.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg) is a preseason all-conference selection and team leader
Senior guards Jackie Carman and Niyah Lutz join Hatton as veterans who started every game last season
Wofford has three straight seasons of .500 or better in both overall and SoCon play
Top Newcomer: Freshman guard Reagan Rapert is an elite shooter and tough defender
Coaches’ Preseason Poll: Third in the SoCon
Coach’s Quote: “We have a good group coming back and we feel pretty good about our experienced senior class. We’ve been through the fires and last year got a taste of what it feels like to get to the championship game.
“We’re coming together and getting better each day. When you have your core group coming back and they had the success of last year’s tournament, that has motivated them to have a really good summer and come together as a team. I think that will pay big dividends for us.”
Furman Paladins
Coach: Jackie Carson (174-164 in 11 seasons with the Paladins)
Last season: 11-14 (6-8, tied for fifth in the SoCon)
Outlook: Paladins slipped a bit last season after averaging nearly 19 wins the previous three years, and their veteran coach believes this team could win it all with top three scorers returning
Sixth-year senior Tierra Hodges is an all-conference wing player who averaged a double-double (16.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg) last season
Sophomore Sydney James (9.6 ppg) is coming off a season in which she was the SoCon Freshman of the Year
Sophomore point guard Tate Walters (90 assists) was named to all-freshman team
Top Newcomer: Freshman Niveya Henley is a 6-0 guard who played on the top-ranked high-school team in the country last season at Montverde (Fla.) Academy
Coaches’ Preseason Poll: Fourth in SoCon
Coach’s Quote: “We have 13 freshmen and sophomores, but we think this could be a special season. Maybe some folks are underestimating us, and we would love to prove them wrong. A lot of good teams in this conference have a lot of experience and we don’t have that experience, but we have some very talented players who are working very hard.”
Chattanooga Mocs
Coach: Katie Burrows (39-45 in three seasons with Mocs)
Last season: 14-10 (9-5, third in the SoCon)
Outlook: Former league powerhouse bounced back from back-to-back losing seasons to finish strong, closing the regular season with four wins in final five games
Junior forward Abby Cornelius (10 ppg, 8.4 rpg) is developing into an all-around player and leader
Sophomore point guard Dena Jarrells made 28 3-pointers while shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc
Guard Sigrun Olafsdottir started every game as a freshman and led team in assists
Top Newcomer: Freshman forward Karsen Murphy is a transfer from Montana who can score
Coaches’ Preseason Poll: Fifth in the SoCon
Coach’s Quote: “We have five new players we are excited about and we feel like we have a lot of weapons. I think we have a good mix of veterans and new faces. This is a very tough league, but we have kids who love to battle. We start the conference season at (preseason favorites Samford and Mercer) so we are going to find out early how we stand.”
UNC Greensboro Spartans
Coach: Trina Patterson (258-377 in 22 seasons, 75-77 in five seasons with Spartans)
Last season: 8-16 (6-8, tied for fifth in the SoCon)
Outlook: Strong finish last season (won four of last five in regular season) provides hope the team is ready to bounce back from disappointing record
Senior forward Aja Boyd is a preseason all-conference pick who led Spartans to tournament title game two years ago but missed last season with an injury
Senior guard CeCe Crudup (11.8 ppg, 60 assists) made the all-defensive team last season
Sophomore forward Khalis Cain led the team in rebounding last season (8.1 pg)
Top Newcomer: Freshman guard Nitzan Amar played on the Israeli National Team.
Coaches’ Preseason Poll: Sixth in the SoCon.
Coach’s Quote: “I think we are going to be a tough, powerful team due to our post play, our size on the perimeter and our speed and athleticism. That makes for explosiveness on the court. We’ve been first in the conference in defense the past two years, but we need to improve on our offensive efficiency. We have great leadership that is team-driven and our energy level is the best I’ve had in six seasons.”
ETSU Buccaneers
Coach: Simon Harris (First season as head coach)
Last season: 4-16 (1-10, eighth in SoCon)
Outlook: With eight freshmen on the roster, Bucs are looking to snap a run of three straight losing seasons after four consecutive years of finishing above .500
Junior Kaia Upton (4.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 53 assists) and freshman Carly Hooks (9.9 ppg, 31 assists) should form a strong and athletic backcourt as returning starters
Freshman Jakhyia Davis (9.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is a 6-3 center who provides a strong post presence
Top Newcomer: North Alabama transfer Jalia Roberts is a sophomore guard who has a chance to be a team leader for the next three seasons
Coaches’ Preseason Poll: Seventh in the SoCon
Coach’s Quote: “We’re talking about expectations in this program, and the only one is going as hard as you can for as long as you can. As long as we adhere to that, we’re going to be OK. We’ll write our own story that way. The good Lord gave us the opportunity to play the game of basketball, and not everybody gets that.
“We adhere to the work and the plan we have in place, it will take care of itself. Our young people are eager and have been working their tails off. We’re very proud of the approach they have and the work they’ve done.”
Western Carolina Catamounts
Coach: Kiley Hill (305-231 in 19 seasons, 11-36 in two years with Catamounts)
Last season: 6-18 (3-10, seventh in the SoCon)
Outlook: Upbeat coach hopes new blood (13 signees past two offseasons) will increase talent level and competitiveness of the program
Leading scorer Kyla Allison (10.7 ppg) hopes to return from foot injury
Sophomore wing Zanoria Cruz (9.9 ppg) could have a breakout season
Junior guard Nadia Marshall (9.0 ppg) is an explosive scorer
Top Newcomer: Columbia graduate transfer Madison Pack is a 6-3 post player who can also pop out and shoot from the perimeter
Coach’s Quote: “Expectation levels are really high. With the last two signing classes, we were trying to get more athletic and improve our skill sets, and we feel like we have expanded in both those areas. We feel like a lot of people look at Western Carolina as an also-ran, and we want that mentality to stop right now.”