SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer Bears and the ETSU Bucs are tabbed as the preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference women’s basketball title for the 2018-19 season, according to a vote by the league’s head coaches. Mercer senior guard KeKe Calloway was named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year. The league’s media predicted Mercer to win the SoCon in 2018-19.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or student-athletes as part of the balloting.
Following a season in which her squad went 30-3 and finished conference play a perfect 14-0 en route to winning the Southern Conference tournament and regular-season titles, reigning SoCon Coach of the Year Susie Gardner of Mercer returns three starters but loses three-time SoCon Player of the Year Kahlia Lawrence. The Bears return Calloway and fellow preseason all-conference selection Amanda Thompson. Calloway, an all-conference first-team selection last season, is the top returning scorer in the conference from a year ago (16.9 ppg).
The SoCon’s highest-scoring offense a year ago, Mercer picked up four first-place votes and 44 total points in the coaches’ poll, tying ETSU, which received three first-place votes, atop the poll. The Bears earned 109 points and nine first-place votes in the media poll, four points ahead of the Bucs.
ETSU, which fell to James Madison in the WNIT, finished 2017-18 at 20-13 and 11-3 in conference play. Erica Haynes-Overton, the 2017-18 freshman of the year and defensive player of the year, was the lone Buc named to the preseason all-conference team. Furman, which earned 32 points to finish third in the coaches’ poll, placed junior guard Le’Jzae Davidson and sophomore center Celena Taborn on the preseason all-conference squad. The Paladins were tabbed fifth by the media.
UNCG, led by third-year head coach Trina Patterson, took fourth place in the both the coaches’ poll (27 points) and the media poll (65). Junior guard Nadine Soliman, a 2017-18 second-team all-conference selection and 2016-17 SoCon Freshman of the Year, earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team. Teammate Te’ja Twitty, an all-freshman selection in 2016-17, joins her as the second Spartan on the squad.
Chattanooga, which finished last season 17-13 and 8-6 in SoCon play, came in fifth in the coaches’ poll (26), but third in the media poll (89), picking up one first-place. Junior guard Lakelyn Bouldin earned preseason all-conference accolades.
Wofford took sixth place in the coaches’ poll (23) and seventh in the media poll (42), while Samford took seventh place in the coaches’ poll (21) and sixth in the media poll (55). The Bulldogs, led by head coach Mike Morris, picked up a first-place vote in each poll. Guards Da’Ja Green and Chloe Wanink are preseason all-conference selections for the Terriers. Western Carolina was picked eighth in both polls, earning seven points in the coaches’ poll and 17 from the media.
Six of the eight teams were represented on the 10-member SoCon preseason all-conference team, with Furman, Mercer, UNCG and Wofford each placing a pair on the team.
Four of the eight Southern Conference teams will take the floor on Tuesday, Nov. 6, to start the regular season. The 2019 Ingles Southern Conference Championship presented by General Shale will be held March 7-10 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
2018-19 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Team (1st-Place Votes) Total
T1. Mercer (4) 44
T1. ETSU (3) 40
3. Furman 32
4. UNCG 27
5. Chattanooga 26
6. Wofford 23
7. Samford (1) 21
8. Western Carolina 7
2018-19 Preseason Player of the Year
KeKe Calloway, Sr., G, Mercer
2018-19 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
Erica Haynes-Overton, So., G, ETSU
Le’Jzae Davidson, Jr., G, Furman
Celena Taborn, So., C, Furman
KeKe Calloway, Sr., G, Mercer
Amanda Thompson, Sr., F, Mercer
Nadine Soliman, Jr., G, UNCG
Te’ja Twitty, Jr., G/F, UNCG
Lakelyn Bouldin, Jr., G, Chattanooga
Da’Ja Green, So., G, Wofford
Chloe Wanink, R-Jr., G, Wofford
2018-19 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
Team (1st-Place Votes) Total
- Mercer (9) 109
- ETSU (4) 105
- Chattanooga (1) 89
- UNCG 65
- Furman 58
- Samford (1) 55
- Wofford 42
- Western Carolina 17
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