Rutgers Women's Basketball Team Picked Third By Lindy's
Sep 13 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - The Rutgers women's basketball program received its second early ranking when the Scarlet Knights were picked third in the Lindy's 2005-2006 Preseason Top 25 Poll.
RU, selected 11th in this fall's Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25 Poll, was ranked 11th by Lindy's on its 2004-2005 preseason list. The Scarlet Knights posted 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 Lindy's Preseason All-America Second Team, marking the second straight year that the Scarlet Knight has been named a preseason second-team pick by both Athlon and Lindy's. 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, Women's Wooden 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.
Lindy's Preseason Top 25 Poll
Team
1. Duke
2. Tennessee
3. Rutgers
4. Georgia
5. Baylor
6. North Carolina
7. Ohio State
8. Connecticut
9. Michigan State
10. LSU
11. Stanford
12. Texas
13. Maryland
14. Purdue
15. Vanderbilt
16. UCLA
17. Texas Tech
18. Notre Dame
19. Minnesota
20. Oklahoma
21. USC
22. Utah
23. Temple
24. Arizona State
25. N.C. State
Lindy's Preseason All-Americans
First Team
Seimone Augustus, Sr., G, LSU
Monique Currie, Sr., G, Duke
Jessica Davenport, Jr., C, Ohio State
Candice Wiggins, So., G, Stanford
Sophia Young, Sr., F, Baylor
Second Team
Tasha Humphrey, So., F, Georgia
Tiffany Jackson, Jr., F, Texas
Cappie Pondexter, Sr., G, Rutgers
Khara Smith, Sr., F, DePaul
Kim Smith, Sr., F, Utah
