Rutgers Women's Basketball Team Included in Early Poll
Sep 12 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Although the women's college basketball season will not officially begin for two more months, a buzz is already beginning to build around the Rutgers program, as the Scarlet Knights have been picked 11th in the Athlon Sports 2005-2006 Preseason Top 25 Poll.
A year ago, Athlon picked RU 19th in its preseason poll. The Scarlet Knights went on post a 28-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in BIG EAST Conference play last season, winning their first outright BIG EAST regular-season title and advancing to their second consecutive BIG EAST Tournament championship game. Rutgers advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2005 NCAA Tournament and finished seventh in the final WBCA/ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll.
In addition, fifth-year senior Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) was named to the Athlon's Preseason All-America Second Team, the second straight year the Scarlet Knight has earned that distinction. Already named a candidate for two 2005-2006 national player-of-the-year awards, the 5-9 guard was a candidate for three national player-of-the-year awards (Naismith, State Farm Wade Trophy, Wooden Women's Award) as well as the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard) and Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award last season. Pondexter also was named to the 2004-2005 Associated Press (honorable mention), Full Court Press (third team) and Kodak/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (honorable mention) All-America Teams, the Kodak/ WBCA All-Region 1 Team, the BIG EAST All-First Team and the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team, and was the NCAA Tournament Philadelphia Region's Most Outstanding Player. She averaged 14.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season, posting 19 double-digit scoring efforts (seven 20+ points) in 27 appearances.
Rutgers, which returns nine letterwinners and four starters from last season's Elite Eight team, will officially begin the 2005-2006 campaign on Grand Bahama Island, competing at the Junkanoo Jam Nov. 25-26.
Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25 Poll
Team 2004-2005 Record
1. LSU 33-3
2. Duke 31-5
3. Ohio State 30-5
4. Tennessee 30-5
5. Georgia 24-10
6. North Carolina 30-4
7. Baylor 33-3
8. Stanford 31-3
9. Michigan State 33-4
10. Connecticut 25-8
11. Rutgers 28-7
12. Texas 22-9
13. Maryland 22-10
14. Texas Tech 24-8
15. Notre Dame 27-6
16. USC 20-11
17. N.C. State 21-8
18. Arizona State 24-10
19. Utah 26-8
20. Arizona 20-12
21. DePaul 26-5
22. Minnesota 26-8
23. Oklahoma 17-13
24. Purdue 17-13
25. Florida State 24-8
Athlon Sports Preseason All-Americans
First Team
Seimone Augustus, Sr. 6-1 G, LSU
Monique Currie, Sr. 6-0 G, Duke
Jessica Davenport, Jr. 6-5 C, Ohio State
Tiffany Jackson, Jr. 6-3 F, Texas
Candice Wiggins, So. 5-11 G, Stanford
Second Team
Crystal Langhorne, So. 6-2 C, Maryland
Cappie Pondexter, Sr. 5-9 G, Rutgers
Khara Smith, Sr. 6-2 F, DePaul
Kim Smith, Sr. 6-1 F, Utah
Sophia Young, Sr. 6-1 C, Baylor
