University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Preseason SBC Basketball Picks Released
10/13/2008 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. ? Chris Gradnigo was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team and Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns men basketball team was one vote shy of being picked to finish first in the West Division, it was announced here Monday at the league's annual Men's and Women's Basketball Media Days held at Summit Arena and the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Gradnigo was a third team selection and
Robert Lee's squad was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt West Division. The defending division champions received three first-place votes and narrowly missed out on being picked first. North Texas and UALR garnered 76 points apiece ? only one better than
The UL men return nine letterwinners from last season's squad which held opponents to 65.8 points per game ? the lowest in the program's Division I history. Add in four newcomers in the frontcourt ? each taller than 6-foot-8 ? and
Gradnigo led the Ragin' Cajuns in scoring averaging 9.6 points per game as a true freshman last season. He finished his rookie season shooting 44.1 percent from three-point range, which ranks as the third-highest single-season percentage in school history, trailing only Sydney Grider (45.7) and Kevin Brooks (44.7). He tallied a team-high 111 field goals made and ranked second on the team with 45 triples.
Gradnigo ended the 2007-08 season scoring 20-plus in three of final five games; averaged 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and made 14 three-pointers during the stretch.
On the women's side,
Errol Rogers enters his second season at the helm of
The Ragin' Cajuns men and women will make their 2008-09 season debuts on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in the CAJUNDOME as part of an exhibition doubleheader. The women will meet LSU-Shreveport at 5 p.m., while the men will face
2008-09 Men's Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
EAST DIVISION
1.
Middle Tennessee (11)
76 points
2.
South Alabama (2)
60 points
3.
Western Kentucky
52 points
4.
Florida Atlantic
38 points
5.
Florida International
33 points
6.
Troy
14 points
WEST DIVISION
1.
UALR (6)
76 points
North Texas (4)
76 points
3.
Louisiana (3)
75 points
4.
Arkansas State
43 points
5.
ULM
39 points
6.
Denver
35 points
7.
New Orleans
20 points
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Desmond Yates, MT
ALL-SBC FIRST TEAM
Carlos Monroe, FAU
Russell Hicks, FIU
Desmond Yates, MT
Josh White, NT
Brandon Davis,
ALL-SBC SECOND TEAM
Tony Hooper,
Kevin Kanaskie, MT
Collin Dennis, NT
Jeremy Evans, WKU
ALL-SBC THIRD TEAM
Steven Moore, UALR
Paul Graham III, FAU
Chris Gradnigo, UL
Kyndall Dykes, UNO
A.J. Slaughter, WKU
2008-09 Women's Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
EAST DIVISION
1.
Middle Tennessee (6)
71 points
2.
Western Kentucky (6)
68 points
3.
South Alabama
48 points
4.
Florida International (1)
43 points
5.
Troy
24 points
6.
Florida Atlantic
19 points
WEST DIVISION
1.
Arkansas State (8)
83 points
UALR (5)
83 points
3.
North Texas
57 points
4.
ULM
50 points
5.
New Orleans
38 points
6.
Denver
34 points
7.
Louisiana
19 points
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dominique Duck, WKU
ALL-SBC FIRST TEAM
Anshel Cooper, UALR
Kim Sitzmann, UALR
Veronica Smith, ASU
Amber Jackson, NT
Dominique Duck, WKU
ALL-SBC SECOND TEAM
Monika Bosilj, FIU
Chelsia Lymon, Middle Tennessee
Brittany Helm, UNO
Brittney James, NT
Arnika Brown, WKU
ALL-SBC THIRD TEAM
Shay Scott, ASU
Lottie Moore, ULM
Shakira Nettles, USA
Kylie Morrissy, Troy
Kenzie Rich, WKU
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