DePaul University Athletics
Morris, Held Selected Preseason All-BIG EAST
10/29/2020 8:21:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul tabbed for second in BIG EAST coaches poll behind Connecticut
CHICAGO – Three-time defending BIG EAST champion DePaul is not the conference's preseason favorite heading into the 2020-21 season, and there's a good reason.
Legendary Connecticut---winners of 11 NCAA national championships and hailed by DePaul coach Doug Bruno as the greatest college basketball program of all-time regardless of gender---returns to its roots after seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
UConn was the preseason choice in balloting by the league's coaches that was announced at Thursday's BIG EAST Women's Basketball Media Day. Coaches could not vote for their own team or players.
The Blue Demons were picked to finish second after sweeping the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles last season, going 28-5 overall and 15-3 in conference. DePaul landed two players on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team with unanimous pick Sonya Morris along with Lexi Held.
Both junior guards distinguished themselves last season when DePaul captured both the regular-season and conference tournament titles.
Morris was voted All-BIG EAST Second Team last season after averaging 15.7 points a game in league play and leading the conference with 75 total steals in overall play. She was No. 7 in overall scoring.
Held was the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring a career-high 31 points in the title-game victory over Marquette. The All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection scored 16 points a game in conference action and tied for second in the league with 78 three-pointers in overall games. She was No. 9 in overall scoring.
Connecticut junior guard Christyn Williams was named the 2020-21 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year. Williams is the top returner for the preseason favorite Huskies, averaging 14.6 points over 32 games last year.
Teammate Paige Bueckers, the nation's top-ranked recruit in the 2020 class, was unanimously selected BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Connecticut, who will begin their first season of BIG EAST play since 2012-13, has won the conference regular season 19 times along with 18 BIG EAST Tournament titles. UConn collected 100 points and 10 first-place votes to top the preseason poll.
Six-time and reigning BIG EAST regular-season champion DePaul finished second in the Preseason Coaches' Poll with 90 points and the remaining first-place vote. Blue Demon rival Marquette, which has advanced to four consecutive BIG EAST Tournament title games, was slotted third with 83 points. St. John's followed in fourth place with 69 points while Creighton rounded out the top five with 60 points.
The Bluejays narrowly edged out sixth-place Seton Hall (59 points) which was followed by Villanova in seventh with 44, Butler (eighth, 37 points), Xavier (ninth, 31 points), Providence (10th, 22 points) and Georgetown (11th, 10 points).
In a COVID-19-shortened season, Connecticut went 29-3 overall and 16-0 in its final year of American Athletic Conference play, winning the AAC Tournament for the seventh-straight year. The Huskies return three starters led by BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Christyn Williams (14.6 points per game). UConn also has a pair of notable newcomers in 2020 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year and nationally top-ranked incoming freshman Paige Bueckers along with Tennessee transfer and 2017 USA Today National Player of the Year Evina Westbrook. The Huskies spent 18 of 20 weeks in the top five of the Associated Press poll last season including three weeks at the No. 1 slot before finishing the season ranked fifth. Connecticut last competed in the BIG EAST in 2012-13 going 14-2 and finishing second in the BIG EAST Tournament.
DePaul won its third consecutive BIG EAST Tournament crown this past March, clinching what would have been its 18th consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament. The trophy was its fifth in the last seven years. The Blue Demons went 15-3 in BIG EAST play to claim their sixth regular-season crown in the last seven years, posting a 28-5 overall record and climbing as high as No. 11 in the AP Top 25 before finishing the year ranked 15th. DePaul returns 12 letterwinners including three starters from that squad, highlighted by reigning BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player Lexi Held (15.4 points a game) and All-BIG EAST Second Team performer Sonya Morris (15.6).
The Blue Demons will also benefit from talented backcourt performer and returning starter Deja Church (10.9 points) along with fellow senior guard and sixth player Dee Bekelja. Notable newcomers include Darrione Rogers, a two-time All-State guard who averaged 25.9 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at Lake Park West in suburban Roselle and guard Kendall Holmes from Illinois high school state power Benet Academy. Coach Doug Bruno is looking for solid contributions from 6-2 Kiara Dallmann and junior sharpshooter Jolene Daninger.
After being picked to finish ninth in the 2019-20 preseason poll, Marquette went 13-5 in BIG EAST play and advanced to its fourth consecutive conference tournament final. The Golden Eagles looked well on their way to a national postseason berth after going 24-8 on the year and earning votes in both national polls. Marquette returns three starters highlighted by leading scorer and All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree Selena Lott (15.5 points a game) and BIG EAST All-Tournament Team selection Lauren Van Kleunen (11.8). BIG EAST Coach of the Year Megan Duffy welcomes 6-2 forward Liza Karlen, from St. Paul, Minn. who scored over 2,000 points in high school.
St. John's is coming off its first trip to the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals since 2017, finishing the year 19-12 overall and in a five-way logjam for third place with an 11-7 conference record. The Red Storm return two starters and 10 total letterwinners including their top two scorers in Qadashah Hoppie (15.4) and Leilani Correa (12.7). Hoppie was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection while Correa claimed the BIG EAST Sixth-Woman Award while also earning spots on the All-Freshman Team and All-Tournament Team. St. John's will have the added benefit of junior college transfers from Northwest Florida in Fapou Semebene who averaged just shy of a double-double and Rayven Peeples, an honorable mention NJCAA All-American.
Creighton joined St. John's in that five-way tie for third with an 11-7 BIG EAST record in 2019-20, going 19-11 overall and bowing out to the Red Storm in the conference tournament quarterfinals. The Bluejays return three starters and a total of nine letterwinners, but will look to replace BIG EAST Player of the Year Jaylyn Agnew, who claimed the conference scoring crown after averaging 23.1 points in league play. All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection Temi Carda is Creighton's top returner after ranking second on the team in scoring (12.9). The Bluejays will also look to newcomer Mallory Brake, a 6-0 forward out of Hastings, Minn., who averaged 26.7 points and 14.7 rebounds in high school, scoring over 2,600 career points.
Seton Hall mirrored St. John's with a 19-12 overall mark and 11-7 BIG EAST finish, advancing to the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2016 before being edged by eventual champion DePaul. The Pirates graduate their top two scorers from that squad but welcome back Desiree Elmore, who tallied a team-high six double-doubles in 2019-20 and averaged 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds. The Hall also welcomes a pair of talented transfers in NJCAA All-American Curtessia Dean out of Trinity Valley and Penn State product Mya Bembry, a 6-1 guard/forward from nearby West Orange, N.J.
After 42 years, Villanova is under the direction of a new head coach following the retirement of Harry Perretta. Wildcat alumna Denise Dillon takes the reins after a successful tenure at crosstown rival Drexel. VU overcame a slow start to finish 18-13 overall and 11-7 in BIG EAST play a season ago, highlighted by the emergence of Maddy Siegrist who enjoyed one of the most notable freshman campaigns in league history averaging 18.8 points. She leads a group of five returning letterwinners as one of two returning starters (Raven James). The Wildcats will benefit from a couple of transfers in Sarah Mortensen (Miami, Fla.) and Noga Peleg Pelc (Rutgers) along with Brianna Herlihy, who missed last season at Villanova due to injury.
Butler (19-11) once again exceeded expectations by finishing in the five-way tie for third place at 11-7 after being picked seventh in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs welcome back two of their top three scorers in Oumou Toure (9.1 points) and Genesis Parker (9.0). In total, Butler returns seven letterwinners, while adding pivotal pieces in NJCAA All-American Okako Adika and Tenley Dowell, who played just one game for Butler in '19-20 before suffering a season-ending injury.
Xavier (3-27, 2-16) will have arguably the most veteran lineup in the conference, returning all five starters highlighted by All-BIG EAST honoree A'riana Gray. Gray has consistently been a double-double threat in the BIG EAST, averaging 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds over 52 career conference games. She is the active career leader in rebounding among BIG EAST players with 750 boards and second in total points with 982. Xavier bolsters its lineup with transfers Nia Clark (Miami-Ohio) and Kae Satterfield (Ohio State).
After winning eight of its first nine non-league games, Providence fell to 13-19 on the year and a 3-15 eighth-place conference finish. The Friars won a BIG EAST Tournament game for the second-straight year for the first time since 1994-95, advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion DePaul. The Friars return top scorer and rebounder Mary Baskerville (11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds) and look to get a boost from newcomers Grace Efosa-Aguebor who averaged 24.5 points at Whittier Tech in Haverhill, Mass. last season, and Julia Fabozzi who averaged a double-double at Xaverian in Brooklyn.
Georgetown (5-25, 2-16) returns seven letterwinners from a ninth-place team with Anita Kelava the lone returning starter. Kelava is among the BIG EAST blocks leaders totaling triple-digit denials in just two seasons on the Hilltop. Georgetown boosts its lineup with Princeton grad transfer Taylor Baur who averaged 6.9 points, 6.1 rebounds with the Tigers.
BIG EAST Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Connecticut (10) 100 points
2. DePaul (1) 90
3. Marquette 83
4. St. John's 69
5. Creighton 60
6. Seton Hall 59
7. Villanova 44
8. Butler 37
9. Xavier 31
10. Providence 22
11. Georgetown 10
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Christyn Williams, Connecticut, Jr., G
BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year
Paige Bueckers, Connecticut, Fr., G*
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Connecticut, Jr., G
Evina Westbrook, Connecticut, R-Jr., G
Temi Carda, Creighton, Sr., G
Lexi Held, DePaul, Jr., G
Sonya Morris, DePaul, Jr., G*
Selena Lott, Marquette, Sr., G*
Leilani Correa, St. John's, So., G
Qadashah Hoppie, St. John's, Sr., G*
Desiree Elmore, Seton Hall, Sr., G/F*
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova, So., F*
A'riana Gray, Xavier, Sr., F
^extra player added due to a tie in voting
*unanimous selection
Legendary Connecticut---winners of 11 NCAA national championships and hailed by DePaul coach Doug Bruno as the greatest college basketball program of all-time regardless of gender---returns to its roots after seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
UConn was the preseason choice in balloting by the league's coaches that was announced at Thursday's BIG EAST Women's Basketball Media Day. Coaches could not vote for their own team or players.
The Blue Demons were picked to finish second after sweeping the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles last season, going 28-5 overall and 15-3 in conference. DePaul landed two players on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team with unanimous pick Sonya Morris along with Lexi Held.
Both junior guards distinguished themselves last season when DePaul captured both the regular-season and conference tournament titles.
Morris was voted All-BIG EAST Second Team last season after averaging 15.7 points a game in league play and leading the conference with 75 total steals in overall play. She was No. 7 in overall scoring.
Held was the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring a career-high 31 points in the title-game victory over Marquette. The All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection scored 16 points a game in conference action and tied for second in the league with 78 three-pointers in overall games. She was No. 9 in overall scoring.
Connecticut junior guard Christyn Williams was named the 2020-21 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year. Williams is the top returner for the preseason favorite Huskies, averaging 14.6 points over 32 games last year.
Teammate Paige Bueckers, the nation's top-ranked recruit in the 2020 class, was unanimously selected BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Connecticut, who will begin their first season of BIG EAST play since 2012-13, has won the conference regular season 19 times along with 18 BIG EAST Tournament titles. UConn collected 100 points and 10 first-place votes to top the preseason poll.
Six-time and reigning BIG EAST regular-season champion DePaul finished second in the Preseason Coaches' Poll with 90 points and the remaining first-place vote. Blue Demon rival Marquette, which has advanced to four consecutive BIG EAST Tournament title games, was slotted third with 83 points. St. John's followed in fourth place with 69 points while Creighton rounded out the top five with 60 points.
The Bluejays narrowly edged out sixth-place Seton Hall (59 points) which was followed by Villanova in seventh with 44, Butler (eighth, 37 points), Xavier (ninth, 31 points), Providence (10th, 22 points) and Georgetown (11th, 10 points).
In a COVID-19-shortened season, Connecticut went 29-3 overall and 16-0 in its final year of American Athletic Conference play, winning the AAC Tournament for the seventh-straight year. The Huskies return three starters led by BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Christyn Williams (14.6 points per game). UConn also has a pair of notable newcomers in 2020 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year and nationally top-ranked incoming freshman Paige Bueckers along with Tennessee transfer and 2017 USA Today National Player of the Year Evina Westbrook. The Huskies spent 18 of 20 weeks in the top five of the Associated Press poll last season including three weeks at the No. 1 slot before finishing the season ranked fifth. Connecticut last competed in the BIG EAST in 2012-13 going 14-2 and finishing second in the BIG EAST Tournament.
DePaul won its third consecutive BIG EAST Tournament crown this past March, clinching what would have been its 18th consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament. The trophy was its fifth in the last seven years. The Blue Demons went 15-3 in BIG EAST play to claim their sixth regular-season crown in the last seven years, posting a 28-5 overall record and climbing as high as No. 11 in the AP Top 25 before finishing the year ranked 15th. DePaul returns 12 letterwinners including three starters from that squad, highlighted by reigning BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player Lexi Held (15.4 points a game) and All-BIG EAST Second Team performer Sonya Morris (15.6).
The Blue Demons will also benefit from talented backcourt performer and returning starter Deja Church (10.9 points) along with fellow senior guard and sixth player Dee Bekelja. Notable newcomers include Darrione Rogers, a two-time All-State guard who averaged 25.9 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at Lake Park West in suburban Roselle and guard Kendall Holmes from Illinois high school state power Benet Academy. Coach Doug Bruno is looking for solid contributions from 6-2 Kiara Dallmann and junior sharpshooter Jolene Daninger.
After being picked to finish ninth in the 2019-20 preseason poll, Marquette went 13-5 in BIG EAST play and advanced to its fourth consecutive conference tournament final. The Golden Eagles looked well on their way to a national postseason berth after going 24-8 on the year and earning votes in both national polls. Marquette returns three starters highlighted by leading scorer and All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree Selena Lott (15.5 points a game) and BIG EAST All-Tournament Team selection Lauren Van Kleunen (11.8). BIG EAST Coach of the Year Megan Duffy welcomes 6-2 forward Liza Karlen, from St. Paul, Minn. who scored over 2,000 points in high school.
St. John's is coming off its first trip to the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals since 2017, finishing the year 19-12 overall and in a five-way logjam for third place with an 11-7 conference record. The Red Storm return two starters and 10 total letterwinners including their top two scorers in Qadashah Hoppie (15.4) and Leilani Correa (12.7). Hoppie was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection while Correa claimed the BIG EAST Sixth-Woman Award while also earning spots on the All-Freshman Team and All-Tournament Team. St. John's will have the added benefit of junior college transfers from Northwest Florida in Fapou Semebene who averaged just shy of a double-double and Rayven Peeples, an honorable mention NJCAA All-American.
Creighton joined St. John's in that five-way tie for third with an 11-7 BIG EAST record in 2019-20, going 19-11 overall and bowing out to the Red Storm in the conference tournament quarterfinals. The Bluejays return three starters and a total of nine letterwinners, but will look to replace BIG EAST Player of the Year Jaylyn Agnew, who claimed the conference scoring crown after averaging 23.1 points in league play. All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection Temi Carda is Creighton's top returner after ranking second on the team in scoring (12.9). The Bluejays will also look to newcomer Mallory Brake, a 6-0 forward out of Hastings, Minn., who averaged 26.7 points and 14.7 rebounds in high school, scoring over 2,600 career points.
Seton Hall mirrored St. John's with a 19-12 overall mark and 11-7 BIG EAST finish, advancing to the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2016 before being edged by eventual champion DePaul. The Pirates graduate their top two scorers from that squad but welcome back Desiree Elmore, who tallied a team-high six double-doubles in 2019-20 and averaged 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds. The Hall also welcomes a pair of talented transfers in NJCAA All-American Curtessia Dean out of Trinity Valley and Penn State product Mya Bembry, a 6-1 guard/forward from nearby West Orange, N.J.
After 42 years, Villanova is under the direction of a new head coach following the retirement of Harry Perretta. Wildcat alumna Denise Dillon takes the reins after a successful tenure at crosstown rival Drexel. VU overcame a slow start to finish 18-13 overall and 11-7 in BIG EAST play a season ago, highlighted by the emergence of Maddy Siegrist who enjoyed one of the most notable freshman campaigns in league history averaging 18.8 points. She leads a group of five returning letterwinners as one of two returning starters (Raven James). The Wildcats will benefit from a couple of transfers in Sarah Mortensen (Miami, Fla.) and Noga Peleg Pelc (Rutgers) along with Brianna Herlihy, who missed last season at Villanova due to injury.
Butler (19-11) once again exceeded expectations by finishing in the five-way tie for third place at 11-7 after being picked seventh in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs welcome back two of their top three scorers in Oumou Toure (9.1 points) and Genesis Parker (9.0). In total, Butler returns seven letterwinners, while adding pivotal pieces in NJCAA All-American Okako Adika and Tenley Dowell, who played just one game for Butler in '19-20 before suffering a season-ending injury.
Xavier (3-27, 2-16) will have arguably the most veteran lineup in the conference, returning all five starters highlighted by All-BIG EAST honoree A'riana Gray. Gray has consistently been a double-double threat in the BIG EAST, averaging 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds over 52 career conference games. She is the active career leader in rebounding among BIG EAST players with 750 boards and second in total points with 982. Xavier bolsters its lineup with transfers Nia Clark (Miami-Ohio) and Kae Satterfield (Ohio State).
After winning eight of its first nine non-league games, Providence fell to 13-19 on the year and a 3-15 eighth-place conference finish. The Friars won a BIG EAST Tournament game for the second-straight year for the first time since 1994-95, advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion DePaul. The Friars return top scorer and rebounder Mary Baskerville (11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds) and look to get a boost from newcomers Grace Efosa-Aguebor who averaged 24.5 points at Whittier Tech in Haverhill, Mass. last season, and Julia Fabozzi who averaged a double-double at Xaverian in Brooklyn.
Georgetown (5-25, 2-16) returns seven letterwinners from a ninth-place team with Anita Kelava the lone returning starter. Kelava is among the BIG EAST blocks leaders totaling triple-digit denials in just two seasons on the Hilltop. Georgetown boosts its lineup with Princeton grad transfer Taylor Baur who averaged 6.9 points, 6.1 rebounds with the Tigers.
BIG EAST Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Connecticut (10) 100 points
2. DePaul (1) 90
3. Marquette 83
4. St. John's 69
5. Creighton 60
6. Seton Hall 59
7. Villanova 44
8. Butler 37
9. Xavier 31
10. Providence 22
11. Georgetown 10
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Christyn Williams, Connecticut, Jr., G
BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year
Paige Bueckers, Connecticut, Fr., G*
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Connecticut, Jr., G
Evina Westbrook, Connecticut, R-Jr., G
Temi Carda, Creighton, Sr., G
Lexi Held, DePaul, Jr., G
Sonya Morris, DePaul, Jr., G*
Selena Lott, Marquette, Sr., G*
Leilani Correa, St. John's, So., G
Qadashah Hoppie, St. John's, Sr., G*
Desiree Elmore, Seton Hall, Sr., G/F*
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova, So., F*
A'riana Gray, Xavier, Sr., F
^extra player added due to a tie in voting
*unanimous selection
Players Mentioned
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