UT Tyler Women Picked to Win ASC East, Men Slotted for Third
October 27, 2005
By Brett Hone
Tyler Morning Telegraph

UT Tyler's women's basketball squad is the preseason consensus pick to defend its East Division title in the American Southwest Conference in the 2005-06 season.

It could have something to do with the ASC East Preseason Player of the Year, Shamonica Shead, playing for the Patriots.

UT Tyler, which finished last season atop the ASC East Division with a 16-8 overall record (16-6 ASC), received nine of the 21 first-place votes and 150 points overall in the poll.

Patriot junior guard Shead, an All-East Division first-team selection last year, averaged 7.3 rebounds and 11.8 points per game while making 47.5 percent of her shots in the regular season. Shead is from LaPoynor High School in Larue.

ASC head coaches, sports information directors and media representatives voted in the preseason poll, which was released Wednesday from Richardson, giving the Patriots a one-point edge over No. 2 Mississippi College, which had 10 first-place votes. Austin College also received first-place votes (two), but was considerably behind the top two spots in points (118).

Louisiana College (104 points) and East Texas Baptist (92 points) round out the top five, respectively.

In the ASC West Division, another defending champion, Hardin-Simmons, received eight first-place votes and 122 points en route to claiming the top spot. They edged out Howard Payne, which had 116 points and five first-place votes, and McMurry's three first-place votes and 109 points.

No. 5 Concordia-Austin received the other first-place vote, pulling 69 points, which put it behind No. 4 Mary Hardin-Baylor, which received 86 points.

Senior forward Lisa Martinez of Mary Hardin-Baylor was chosen as the ASC West Division Preseason Player of the Year. Martinez was named All-Conference and All-West Division first team last year after leading the ASC in rebounds per game (10) and finishing second in scoring (17.2 per contest).

Men

UT Tyler's men's basketball team will start the season ranked behind Mississippi College and East Texas Baptist in the American Southwest Conference East Division standings.

The preseason polls released Wednesday by the league office in Richardson listed the Patriots, who had a 13-9 ASC record last season (13-12 overall), at number three with 125 points. Mississippi College claimed the top spot with 173 points and 19 of 22 first-place votes on the ballots.

Voting was conducted among ASC head coaches, sports information directors and media representatives.

The No. 2 East Texas Baptist Lions received the other three first-place votes and 138 points, defending ASC champion UT Dallas had 113 points in the fourth slot and University of the Ozarks had 85 points and were picked to finish fifth.

ETBU's senior guard Cedric Isom was chosen as the ASC East Division Preseason Player of the Year. Isom has reigned as the ASC East Player of the Year the last two seasons, leading the conference in scoring with 24.1 points per game and ranking third in rebounding with 9.1 boards per contest.

Isom is also a two-time All-ASC and three-time All-East division pick.

In the ASC West Division, Mary Hardin-Baylor earned first-place votes on eight of 20 ballots cast and 127 points, slipping past defending division tri-champion Sul Ross State University by six points.

Following the top two teams, McMurry University claimed five first-place votes and 120 points in third place and Hardin-Simmons tallied 119 points and three first-place votes as the Cowboys were picked to finish fourth. Howard Payne rounds out the top five, the only one not to receive a first-place vote, with 73 points.

Preseason No. 2 Sul Ross State will field the ASC West Division Preseason Player of the Year in senior guard Sidney Hooper. Hooper was named All-ASC and to the All-West first team last season.

He averaged 22 points per game and dropped 80 assists last season, good enough for second on the team.

The Patriots open their season Nov. 18 against Centenary in Shreveport, La.

UT Tyler's home opener is Nov. 26 against Hardin-Simmons at the Herrington Patriot Center. The Patriots also meet conference foe McMurry on Nov. 28 in Tyler.

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