St. John's University Athletics
BIG EAST Holds Annual Women's Basketball Media Day
10/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 22, 2009
NEW YORK - St. John's head women's basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico was joined by Red Storm players Da'Shena Stevens, Kelly McManmon, Sky Lindsay and Shenneika Smith at the BIG EAST Conference's annual Media Day on Thursday.
The event was held at ESPN Zone in Times Square and numerous media outlets, including television stations, magazines, newspapers and websites were in attendance. Barnes Arico and the players discussed the upcoming season, the returning players and newcomers, and touched on numerous other topics including the team's run in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in 2008-09.
Stevens was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team. The 2009 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Stevens broke the rookie scoring record at STJ with 406 points and led all BIG EAST freshmen in scoring with 11.9 points per game, while grabbing a team-best 6.6 rebounds during the 2008-09 campaign.
The Red Storm was picked 12th in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll, which is voted on by all 16 head coaches. 2009 national champion Connecticut was picked to finish first with 225 points, including 15 first-place votes. Notre Dame was picked second with 210 points, and DePaul and Louisville tied for third with 171 points each.
2009-10 Preseason BIG EAST Coaches' Poll
1. Connecticut (15) 225
2. Notre Dame (1) 210
3. DePaul 171
3. Louisville 171
5. Pittsburgh 167
6. Rutgers 156
7. Syracuse 126
8. Georgetown 124
9. West Virginia 121
10. Marquette 111
11. USF 86
12. St. John's 84
13. Villanova 78
14. Seton Hall 33
15. Providence 31
16. Cincinnati 26
First-place votes in parentheses
Preseason Player of the Year
Maya Moore, Connecticut, Jr., F
Preseason Freshman of the Year
*Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame, G (South Bend, Ind.)
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Ashley Barlow, Notre Dame, Sr., G
*Tina Charles, Connecticut, Sr., C
Keisha Hampton, DePaul, So., F
Tiffany Hayes, Connecticut, So., G
Nicole Michael, Syracuse, Sr., F
*Maya Moore, Connecticut, Jr., F
Deirdre Naughton, DePaul, Sr., G
Liz Repella, West Virginia, Jr., G
*Angel Robinson, Marquette, Jr., G
Kahla Roudebush, Cincinnati, Sr., G
Lindsay Schrader, Notre Dame, R-Sr., G
Da'Shena Stevens, St. John's, So., F
^ - an extra member has been added to the preseason team due to a tie in voting
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Deseree' Byrd, Louisville, Jr., G
Kalana Greene, Connecticut, Sr., G
Brittany Ray, Rutgers, Sr., G
* Unanimous Selection
