Leagues unveil 2003-04 hoops picks
Preseason picks in all four black college conferences are out after each held media events last week (Picks Listing).The Mid Eastern Athletic Conference held teleconferences Wednesday for women's coaches and Thursday for men's coaches.
Coaches and sports information directors chose Patricia Bibbs' Lady Pirates of Hampton to repeat in the women's race and Florida A&M to emerge on the men's side.
FAMU, led by third-year head man Mike Gillespie, is coming off its best finish (17-12, 11-7) in some years and features the preseason Player of the Year in guard Terrence Woods. The senior averaged 22 points per game last season and finished as the nation's best three-point shooter (139 of 304, 45.7%). Delaware State guard Mandy Clark was selected as the women's outstanding player.
Johnson C. Smith's men and women got the nod in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's West Division in picks unveiled at the conference's Coaches Exchange in Raleigh Thursday.
The women's defending champion Shaw Lady Bears and the Panthers of Virginia Union topped the East Division picks.
VUU and Livingstone had two players each on the men's preseason all-conference team while Fayetteville State placed two on the women's squad.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference coaches picked defending men's champion Texas Southern to repeat and the Lady Tigers of Jackson State to take the women's title at its Media Luncheon Thursday in Baton Rouge, La.
Six-seven center Amiee Williams of JSU, who averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and a nation's best 5.24 blocks per game, garnered both the preseason player and defensive player of the year awards.
Mississippi Valley State forward Attarius Norwood (16.9 ppg.) was selected as preseason men's player of the year while Prairie View's 6-11 center Roderick Riley (11.3 ppg., 7.0 rpg.) earned the defensive honor.
Defending champions Morehouse (men) and Fort Valley State (women) were the selections of coaches in the SIAC who held their Media Luncheon last Friday in Atlanta.
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.