Green Bay Tabbed to Win, Tetschlag Chosen Player of the Year in Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Video: 2010-11 Womens Basketball Awards Show
INDIANAPOLIS – Green Bay received all but one first place vote tallying 269 points, and has been chosen to win the 2010-11 Horizon League women’s basketball championship according to a preseason poll of the league’s coaches, sports information directors and media members. The Phoenix also placed three players on the Preseason Horizon League First Team, led by Player of the Year selection, senior Kayla Tetschlag.
Butler (231) took second in the poll, while Detroit (224) picked up one first-place vote in finishing third. Cleveland State and UIC tied for fourth place with 166 points apiece. Milwaukee (140) finished sixth, followed by Loyola (93), Wright State (84), Valparaiso (82) and Youngstown State (30).
Tetschlag received 256 points and 22 of 26 Player-of-the-Year votes. She ranked among the Horizon League’s leaders in scoring (3rd, 15.2), field goal percentage (2nd, .559) free throw percentage (6th, .805), rebounding (7th, 6.5) and blocked shots (8th, 0.7) last season, being named to the All-Horizon League First Team and 2010 Speedway Horizon League All-Tournament Team.
Tetschlag was joined on the first team by teammates Julie Wojta and Celeste Hoewisch along with Cleveland State guard Shawnita Garland and UIC junior Jasmine Bailey.
Wojta (14.0 ppg), Hoewisch (13.8 ppg), and Garland (12.6 ppg) ranked in the top 10 of 2009-10 league scoring leaders, while Garland led the League with 3.0 steals per contest. Wojta also placed fourth in free throw percentage (.829) while Hoewisch ranked third in steals (2.5 spg). Bailey led all players in field goal percentage (.583) and tied for third in blocked shots (0.9 bpg).
Detroit sophomore Yar Shayok, the 2010 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, along with Milwaukee senior Lindsay Laur, Youngstown State sophomore Brandi Brown, Wright State senior LaShawna Thomas and Butler senior Brittany Bowen earned Horizon League Preseason Second-Team accolades.
Shayok placed among league leaders in rebounding (9.7 rpg), while Bowen (.392) and Laur (.380) ranked in the top 5 for both three-point accuracy and free throw percentage (Laur - .854; Bowen - .817). Brown led the league in rebounding with 10.6 boards per game.
Green Bay, which last season became the first Horizon League team to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, returns all five starters from a year ago. The Phoenix finished the 2009-10 season with a program- and league-best 35 consecutive-game winning streak and carries into the year the nation’s longest active streak for regular season titles with 12.
Butler, a first-round WNIT participant in 2009-10, will return 10 letterwinners. Among the Bulldogs’ returners are seniors Terra Burns (4.2 apg) and Alyssa Pittman (1.8 ) who ranked among league leaders a season ago in assists and 3-point shots, respectively.
Detroit will return four starters from a year ago, including the league’s leader in assists, Jalesa Jones, who handed out 5.1 per contest.
Cleveland State, which received an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament for winning the 2010 Horizon League Championship, returns seven letterwinners including Shalonda Winton, who averaged 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Vikings.
UIC brings back Taylor Foulks, who averaged 7.8 points per game for the Flames a season ago. The guard also ranked in the top 10 in the league in three-point accuracy (.354) and three-pointers per game (1.9).
Milwaukee returns all but one starter from last year, including key contributors Ashley Imperiale and Sami Tucker, who averaged 9.5 and 7.4 points per game, respectively.
Loyola brings back 10 letterwinners from a season ago, including Brittany Boeke, who averaged 6.1 points per game and tied for third in the league in blocked shots (0.9 bpg).
Led by new head coach Mike Bradbury, Wright State will look to incorporate eight newcomers into the program. Among returning starters for the Raiders is Ta-myra Davis, who averaged 7.6 points and 5.9 boards per game a season ago.
Eight letterwinners, including three starters, join six newcomers for Valparaiso’s upcoming campaign, led by Betsy Adams, who averaged 11.4 points per game last season and ranked third in three-point shots (2.4) in the league.
Four starters return for Youngstown State under first-year head coach Bob Boldon. Brown and Bojana Dimitrov, who averaged 10.1 points per game in 2009-10, are two of six returning letterwinners for the Penguins.
Seven Horizon League women’s basketball teams open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 12. The 2011 Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship is set for March 7, 9, 11, 13.
2010-11 HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Rank School (1st) Points
1. Green Bay (26) 269
2. Butler 231
3. Detroit (1) 224
4. Cleveland State 166
UIC 166
6. Milwaukee 140
7. Loyola 93
8. Wright State 84
9. Valparaiso 82
10. Youngstown State 30
Player of the Year
Kayla Tetschlag, Green Bay
All-League Teams
First Team:
Kayla Tetschlag, G/F, Green Bay
Julie Wojta, G/F, Green Bay
Celeste Hoewisch, G, Green Bay
Shawnita Garland, G, Cleveland State
Jasmine Bailey, G/F, UIC
Second Team:
Yar Shayok, F, Detroit
Lindsay Laur, F, Milwaukee
Brandi Brown, F, Youngstown State
LaShawna Thomas, G, Wright State
Brittany Bowen, G/F, Butler
