NEW ORLEANS – Arkansas State was tabbed as the favorite in the 2014-15 Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll announced by the conference Wednesday. Red Wolves guard Aundrea Gamble was chosen as the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year.
Voting for the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team and Poll was conducted by the league’s 11 head coaches.
Gamble, a redshirt junior, was the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season as she finished second in the Sun Belt with 18.9 points per game last season. The native of McKinley, Texas was also a member of the All-Sun Belt Conference first team. Gamble shot 49.7% from the field and was tabbed as the Sun Belt Player of the Week on three occasions as she led the Red Wolves to a 22-12 record overall and a 14-4 record in Sun Belt play.
The Red Wolves made it to the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament but fell to WKU 61-60 in the final. Brian Boyer’s squad returns three starters from a team which was selected to the 2015 Women’s NIT Postseason tournament. Red Wolves senior Hanna Qedan was tabbed to the conference’s second team.
UALR was picked second in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 112 points just six behind Arkansas State. UALR returns four starters from a team that went 18-12 and finished in a tie for third in the Sun Belt with a 12-6 mark. The Trojans are led by senior guard Taylor Gault who was tabbed to the All-Sun Belt First Team.
Gault averaged 15.1 points per game last year and was a member of the 2013-14 All-Sun Belt Conference First Team and 2015 All-Tournament Team. Kiera Clark (second team) joins Gault in earning preseason All-Sun Belt Conference honors.
Texas State was chosen third with 93 points after tying UALR with a 12-6 mark in Sun Belt play last season. The Bobcats duo of Erin Peoples and Ayriel Anderson were named to the preseason teams. Peoples, a junior guard was named to the first team while Anderson was tabbed to the third team.
Peoples averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season as Texas State earned their first postseason berth since 2008 with an invitation to the WBI tournament.
Georgia State follows Texas State in the preseason polls thanks to second team honoree Brittany Logan and third team member Alisha Andrews. The Panthers were 12-19 last season and 8-10 in conference play.
Troy junior Ashley Beverly-Kelley was tabbed to the All-Sun Belt first team after averaging team bests of 13.2 points and 3.5 assists per game. Beverly-Kelley averaged 1.7 steals per game while shooting 84% from the line and 36.4% from the three point line. She leads a Trojan squad that was selected fifth in the conference after finishing last season 12-18 overall and 8-10 in conference play.
The UL Lafayette duo of Keke Veal (second team) and Kia Wilridge (third team) were honored by the conference as the Ragin’ Cajuns were picked sixth amongst the 11 teams. UL Lafayette returns all five starters from a team that was 14-16 overall and 7-11 in Sun Belt play. They were followed by South Alabama who placed two players on the third team. Guards Breanna Hall and Rachel Cumbo will look to lead a Jaguars team that went 8-20 last season and finished in ninth.
Conference newcomer Appalachian State was selected eighth in the preseason poll. The Mountaineers are led by first team All-Sun Belt selection Maryah Syndor. The senior forward averaged 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season. New head coach Angel Elderkin takes over a team that went 13-16 in 2013-14.
Rounding out the 2014-15 Sun Belt Preseason Coaches’ Polls are UT Arlington, Georgia Southern, and UL Monroe. UT Arlington went 3-15 and finished in 10th in the Sun Belt last season. Anna Claire Knight of Georgia Southern rounds out the All-Sun Belt second team as she leads an Eagles squad that was 10-21 last season while playing in the Southern Conference. UL Monroe went 7-11 in Sun Belt play and 11-20 overall.
The 2014-15 season gets underway on November 14th. This season the conference schedule will feature a 20-game, double round-robin slate culminating with the conference championship set for March 11-14, 2015 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, La. Eight of the 11 league teams will qualify for the tournament with the tournament champion advancing to the NCAA tournament.
2014-15 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
first-place votes in parentheses
1. Arkansas State (9) - 118 pts
2. UALR (2) - 112 pts
3. Texas State - 93 pts
4. Georgia State - 82 pts
5. Troy - 70 pts
6. UL Lafayette - 64 pts
7. South Alabama - 49 pts
8. Appalachian State - 47 pts
9. UT Arlington - 44 pts
10. Georgia Southern - 27 pts
11. UL Monroe - 20 pts
All-SBC Preseason First Team
Maryah Sydnor (Appalachian State, Senior, Forward)
Taylor Gault (UALR, Senior, Guard)
Aundrea Gamble (Arkansas State, RS-Junior, Guard)
Erin Peoples (Texas State, Junior, Guard)
Ashley Beverly-Kelley (Troy, Junior, Guard)
All-SBC Preseason Second Team
Kiera Clark (UALR, Senior, Forward)
Hanna Qedan (Arkansas State, RS-Senior, Guard)
Anna Claire Knight (Georgia Southern, Senior, Guard)
Brittany Logan (Georgia State, Senior, Center)
Keke Veal (UL Lafayette, Junior, Guard)
All-SBC Preseason Third Team
Alisha Andrews (Georgia State, Senior, Guard)
Kia Wilridge (UL Lafayette, Junior, Guard)
Rachel Cumbo (South Alabama, Junior, Guard)
Breanna Hall (South Alabama, Senior, Guard)
Ayriel Anderson (Texas State, Junior, Guard)
Preseason Player of the Year
Aundrea Gamble (Arkansas State, RS-Junior, Guard)