BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a vote conducted by the league’s Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors, defending Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Southern (155) has been tabbed to finish atop the league for the 2019-20 season.
Jackson State garnered (142) total points, outdistancing Prairie View A&M, who received (116) total points. Alabama State was close behind with (110) points while Texas Southern totaled (90) points.
Texas Southern’s Niya Mitchell was selected as the SWAC Preseason Player and Defensive Player of the Year. The senior forward from Bay City, Texas is coming off an excellent junior season where she averaged a double-double, scoring 14.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per contests.
Mitchell added four offensive rebounds per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field. She averaged 2.3 steals per contest and recorded 1.9 assists per contest while shooting 47 percent from the charity stripe. She also blocked 18 shots and scored 20-plus points on five occasions with a game-high 23 points against Alabama A&M.
Rounding out the predicted order of finish was Grambling State (74), Alabama A&M (70), Mississippi Valley State (65), Alcorn State (36), and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (34).
The full preseason all-conference teams are listed below. Alabama State and Jackson State each had three selections, while Alabama A&M produced two selections. Southern, Alcorn State, and Texas Southern each received one selection.
2019-20 All-SWAC Preseason Women’s Basketball Teams and Predicted Order of Finish
Preseason Player of the Year/Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Niya Mitchell, Texas Southern
Preseason All-SWAC First Team
Guard – Jayla Crawford, Alabama State
Guard – Alyric Scott, Southern
Forward – Niya Mitchell, Texas Southern
Forward – Marneisha Hamer, Jackson State
Center – Elexis Evans, Alabama A&M
Preseason All-SWAC Second Team
Guard – Kaisah Lucky, Jackson State
Guard – Nigeria Jones, Alabama A&M
Forward – Shmya Ward, Alabama State
Forward – Ayana Emmanuel, Alabama State
Center – Jamaysha Bernard, Alcorn State
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Southern (155)
2. Jackson State (142)
3. Prairie View A&M (116)
4. Alabama State (110)
5. Texas Southern (90)
6. Grambling State (74)
7. Alabama A&M (70)
8. Mississippi Valley State (65)
9. Alcorn State (36)
10. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (34)
Courtesy: SWAC
