Media Day Central
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year earns the honor after collecting several big awards last year. Sophomore
Breanna Stewart from UConn earned the honor after taking home 2013 Final Four Most Outstanding Performer, 2013 NCAA Tournament, Bridgeport Regional MOP and 2013 All-BIG EAST Tournament Team honors. One of the most touted newcomers in the nation, Rutgers freshman
Tyler Scaife was named as the Conference’s Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Only the fourth freshman all-time to be honored as the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Stewart earned the honor after averaging 20.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting a team best .563 (40-71) percent from the field and .600 percent (9-15) from beyond the 3-point arc in five NCAA Tournament games. She scored 169 points in her first 10 games to establish a UConn record for most points scored by a player in her first 10 games. Stewart, a member of the 2012-13 All-Freshman and 2013 All-BIG EAST Tournament teams while also garnering All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades, averaged a team-high 19.4 points per game and scored in double-figures in all eight of the postseason games she played after scoring in double-figures in only four of the 10 games leading up to postseason play . Her 497 points during her freshman year are the fourth-most ever scored by a UConn freshman and her 74 blocks are third all-time among Husky freshmen. For the season, Stewart was second on the team at 13.8 points per game and third on the squad with 6.4 rebounds per contest. She led the team with 74 blocks and was one of four Huskies to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor. Stewart led the team in scoring nine times, in rebounding nine times and in blocked shots on 21 occasions.
Scaife was a two-time Arkansas Girls Basketball Player of the Year and ranked as the top overall point guard in the nation and ninth-rated recruit overall by ESPNU HoopGulrz. She was the MVP of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBAC) High School All-America Game at the Final Four in New Orleans, scoring a game-high 17 points in her squad’s victory, shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 60.0 percent from the free-throw line. Scaife, a four-time all-state selection, also participated in the McDonald’s All-American Girls’ Game at the United Center in Chicago, where she netted 15 points along with four assists in helping her team to a dominating 92-64 victory. One of 34 of the nation’s top athletes to accept an invitation to participate in the 2013 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team trial, Scaife led the Hall High School Warriors to a 30-2 record and the Class 6A state championship as a senior. In her final season, she averaged 23.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.1 steals per game and was named MVP of the state title game.
There were three unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Conference team as Stewart was joined by teammate
Stefanie Dolson, a senior, and Louisville’s senior guard
Shoni Schimmel.
Dolson began last year on the Naismith Award Preseason Watch List and Wooden Award Preseason Top 30. She was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team and First Team All-Conference, before earning Associated Press All-American Third Team and USBWA All-America accolades. Dolson enters the 2013-14 season seventh on UConn's all-time blocked shots list (161) and fourth on UConn's all-time field goal percentage list at .598 after shooting 59.3 percent from the field in 2012-13, which marked the second-highest field goal percentage in the country. Dolson became the 36th member of UConn's 1,000-point list in 2012-13 and enters her senior season in 29th on UConn's all-time list with 1,299 career points. Last year, she played and started in 38 of UConn's 39 games and was third on the team with 13.6 points while leading the squad with 7.1 rebounds per game.
Schimmel was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Oklahoma City Regional. She also earned WBCA All-Region honors and first team All-BIG EAST honors. She led the Cardinals in scoring and assists with 14.2 points and 3.6 assists per game. Schimmel was one of 12 players named to the 2013 USA Basketball Women’s World University Games.
UCF sophomore guard
Briahanna Jackson, last year’s Conference USA Freshman of the Year, was named to the Preseason All-Conference team. The C-USA All-Tournament team selection averaged 18.5 points and shot 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the free throw line during UCF's run to its third title game in five years. Jackson broke the 15-year-old C-USA freshman single-season steals record and became UCF's single-steals record holder with 108 thefts -- a mark that ties for second on C-USA's overall single-season leaders list.
Cincinnati’s
Dayeesha Hollins was selected to the Preseason All-Conference team after being named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team last season. The redshirt-senior guard saw action in 28 games, making 27 starts, averaging 15.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Hollins ranked eighth in the BIG EAST and 130th nationally in scoring average and placed 14th in the BIG EAST and 142nd nationally in free throw percentage (77.5). She scored double-digit points in 23 contests, including 17 straight to start the season and surpassed the 20-point mark six times.
UConn’s
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was named to the 2013 All-NCAA Tournament Team and 2013 NCAA Tournament All-Bridgeport Regional Team, as well as the 2012-13 WBCA/State Farm All-America Team. The 2012-13 All-BIG EAST First Team selection led UConn in scoring for the second-straight year and established a school single-season 3-point field goals record by burying 118. Mosqueda-Lewis became the 37th member of UConn's 1,000-point club and achieved 1,000 points in fewer games than any Husky other than Maya Moore. The junior forward enters the season with the fifth-highest scoring average in school history at 16.3 points per game and led the country in 3-point field goal percentage during the 2012-13 season (.492). Entering her junior season, Mosqueda-Lewis is in third place on UConn's all-time 3-point field goal percentage list at .438.
SMU’s
Keena Mays, the Conference USA Player of the Year, was named a WBCA All-America finalist, First Team All-C-USA selection as well as C-USA Newcomer of the Year. After missing the first eight games of the year due to NCAA transfer rules, Mays started 23 games and was fourth in the league with 18.4 points per game. The senior guard scored at least 20 points nine times, and had at least 10 points in 20 games. Mays led C-USA in 3-point percentage, shooting 40.0 percent from behind the arc. She also ranked sixth in the league with 3.8 assists per game and was third on the team with 5.7 rebounds per contest.
Louisville’s
Sara Hammond was second on the Cardinals last year in scoring with 10.8 ppg. She led the team in rebounding with 6.4 boards per game and was tied for the team lead with 34 blocks. Hammond was also second on the team in free throw percentage, connecting on 80.6 percent. Teammate
Antonita Slaughter was third on the Cardinals’ roster in scoring with 10.1 ppg. Slaughter played in all 38 games, averaging 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high .358 from 3-point range. In the NCAA Championship win against Baylor, Slaughter had seven 3-pointers for 21 points. During the BIG EAST regular season, Slaughter was second on the team with 13.3 points per game.
USF’s
Inga Orehkova appeared in all 33 games last season, starting 32 and averaging 12.7 points per game. The senior guard scored 419 points and dished out 73 assists, second-most on the team, and shot a team-leading .798 from the free throw line. She is known as a threat from the perimeter after knocking down 82 3-pointers, including nine in the NCAA Championship. In the tournament, Orekhova averaged 21 points per game and knocked down three free throws to force overtime against second-seed California in the second round. She also finished season with 37 blocks, good for 12th on USF's single-season block list.
Rutgers’
Betnijah Laney and
Bria Hartley from UConn were both named Honorable Mentions.
Preseason Player of the Year
Breanna Stewart, UConn, So., F
Preseason Freshman of the Year
Tyler Scaife, Rutgers, Fr., G
Preseason All-Conference Team
Briahanna Jackson, UCF, So., G
Dayeesha Hollins, Cincinnati, R-Sr., G
*Stefanie Dolson, UConn, Sr., C
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn, Jr., F
*Breanna Stewart, UConn, So., F
Keena Mays, SMU, Sr., G
Sara Hammond, Louisville, Jr., F
*Shoni Schimmel, Louisville, Sr., G
Antonita Slaughter, Louisville, Sr., G
Inga Orekhova, USF, Sr., G
Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention
Betnijah Laney, Rutgers, Jr., G/F
Bria Hartley, UConn, Sr., G