Oct. 20, 2015
Sun Belt Release | Lady Mav Quick Facts | 2015-16 Schedule | Roster
Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas - The expectations are high for the Lady Mavericks basketball team after being selected second in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll released on Tuesday.
Arkansas State was selected the top team in the conference, receiving six first-place votes (113 points). UT Arlington received one first place vote (97 points), while defending champion Little Rock was just behind UTA with two first-place votes (96 points). Louisiana was chosen fourth, Troy fifth and in-state rival Texas State rounded out the top six.
"It is a great honor to be recognized by the Sun Belt coaches," UT Arlington associate head coach Kristin Cole said. "We have been working hard to get our program to where it is now. It is time for us to go to work and come out and compete every night and see what happens. It is not how you start, it is how you finish."
UTA completed the largest turnaround in NCAA Division I after a 13-win increase to finish tied for fourth in the Sun Belt with a 17-13 overall record. The Lady Mavs were picked ninth at the beginning of last season.
Arkansas State's Aundrea Gamble was selected the Preseason Student-Athlete of the Year. Gamble averaged 19.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season.
UT Arlington sophomore Rebekah VanDijk, the 2014-15 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, received a selection to the conference's All-SBC Preseason First Team. VanDijk was one of two players in the Sun Belt to average a double-double last season and led all Division I freshmen with 15 double-doubles.
Senior LaShanda Green and sophomore Cierra Johnson were named to the All-SBC Preseason Third Team.
Green averaged 3.3 assists per game in 2014-15 and became just the 10th players in UTA history to play over 1,000 minutes as she started in 29 games, playing in all 30. Johnson was fourth in single-season history with 81 steals, averaging 2.7 steals per game for 27th in NCAA Division I. Johnson saved her best for when it mattered most as she averaged 12.5 points over the team's final 10 games.
"It is great," Cole said. "Those kids, and our team in general, have worked really hard to be put in a position to be recognized like that. As a staff we are really proud of them. It raises the bar, they have to keep working really hard but we are very happy for them and very excited for our kids."
The Lady Mavericks begin their season on Nov. 13 when they travel to take on Big 12 favorite Baylor in the 2015 Preseason WNIT first round. Tickets are available by going to www.utatickets.com.
All-SBC Preseason First Team
- Aundrea Gamble (Arkansas State, Senior, G)
- Alexius Dawn (Little Rock, Senior, G)
- Keke Veal (UL Lafayette, Senior, G)
- Rebekah VanDijk (UT Arlington, Sophomore, C)
- Ashley Beverly Kelley (Troy, Senior, G)
All-SBC Preseason Second Team
- Khadija Brown-Haywood (Arkansas State, Senior, F)
- Makeba Ponder (Georgia State, Soph., G)
- Shanity James (Little Rock, Senior, F)
- Kia Wilridge (UL Lafayette, Senior, G)
- Ayriel Anderson (Texas State, Senior, G)
All-SBC Preseason Third Team
- Joi Jones (Appalachian State, Junior, G)
- Chyna Ellis (South Alabama, Sophomore, C)
- LaShanda Green (UT Arlington, Senior, G)
- Cierra Johnson (UT Arlington, Sophomore, G)
- Caitlyn Ramirez (Troy, Junior, F)
Preseason Student-Athlete of the Year
- Aundrea Gamble (Arkansas State, RS-Senior, Guard)
Predicted Order of Finish (first-place votes in parentheses)
- Arkansas State (6) - 113 pts
- UT Arlington (1) - 97 pts
- Little Rock (2) - 96 pts
- UL Lafayette (1) - 95 pts
- Troy (1) - 86 pts
- Texas State - 66 pts
- Georgia State - 57 pts
- Appalachian State - 40 pts
- UL Monroe - 38 pts
- South Alabama - 26 pts
- Georgia Southern - 12 pts
