NCAA Champion Women's Basketball Top Preseason Polls
9/12/2006 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sept. 12, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With two early polls released, the National Champion Maryland women's basketball team was tabbed the preseason No. 1 team in the country in Lindy's College Basketball Preview issue. The Athlon Sports Annual gave the Terps a No. 2 rating and also singled out junior Crystal Langhorne as a first team preseason All-American. Both current issues of the magazines are available at newsstands and bookstores now.
Maryland is the early favorite to contend for the national title as the team returns the top seven scorers and rebounders from last season's championship squad, including all five starters. Among the players returning is Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) who led the team in scoring (17.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg), while leading the country with a 67.0 shooting percentage. Langhorne was one of 10 preseason All-American's selected by Athlon and was named to the first team.
Langhorne is one of four Terrapin preseason candidates for the WBCA Wade Trophy, presented to the national player of the year. Also nominated were senior Shay Doron (Ramat Hasharon, Israel/Christ the King [N.Y.]), sophomore Marissa Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) and sophomore Kristi Toliver (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg).
The Terps also return Final Four Most Outstanding Player junior Laura Harper (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) and junior Jade Perry (Central City, Ky./Muhlenberg North), who was named second team All-ACC Tournament last season, along with classmate Ashleigh Newman (Shelbyville, Tenn./Shelbyville Area) and senior Aurelie Noirez (Vandoeure, France).
Transfers Christie Marrone (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Johns Villa Academy [Virginia Tech]) and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood (Pomona, Calif./Lynwood [Tennessee]) both practiced with the team last year and will be eligible to play in games this season (Wiley-Gatewood following the fall semester). The team welcomes the lone freshman on the squad Emery Wallace, a forward hailing from Roanoke, Va.
The season tips off with an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 3 against LTL All-Stars, then the Terps officially open the campaign on Friday, Nov. 10 at Middle Tennessee State, before playing for the home crowd on Sunday, Nov. 12 against George Mason.
For information on purchasing tickets, call the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP or log on to www.umterps.com.
Lindy's 1. Maryland 2. North Carolina 3. Stanford 4. Connecticut 5. Tennessee 6. Oklahoma 7. Duke 8. Georgia 9. Rutgers 10. Ohio State 11. Purdue 12. LSU 13. Arizona State 14. Vanderbilt 15. Texas A&M 16. USC 17. New Mexico 18. Kentucky 19. BYU 20. Michigan State 21. Bowling Green 22. St. John's 23. Louisiana Tech 24. Iowa 25. CaliforniaAthlon's Preseason All-AmericansAthlon's 1. North Carolina 2. Maryland 3. Oklahoma 4. Stanford 5. Ohio State 6. Duke 7. Tennessee 8. Georgia 9. LSU 10. Baylor 11. Arizona State 12. Vanderbilt 13. Connecticut 14. Kentucky 15. UCLA 16. Purdue 17. BYU 18. Rutgers 19. California 20. Bowling Green 21. DePaul 22. NC State 23. Louisiana Tech 24. Texas A&M 25. Western Kentucky
First Team: Jessica Davenport (Sr., C, Ohio State), Crystal Langhorne (Jr., C/F, Maryland), Ivory Latta (G, Sr., North Carolina), Courtney Paris (C, So., Oklahoma), Candace Parker (So., F, Tennessee).
Second Team: Sylvia Fowles (Jr., C, LSU), Tasha Humphrey (Jr., F, Georgia), Tiffany Jackson (Sr., F, Texas), Erlana Larkins (Jr., F, North Carolina), Candice Wiggins (Jr., G, Stanford).
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