Women's hoops poll: DePaul Big East favorite
NEW YORK — DePaul is the preseason choice to win the Big East title, according to the conference Coaches' Poll. The Blue Demons, who have seven letterwinners and three starters back from last year's NCAA squad, finished with 79 points in the poll and received eight of 10 first-place votes.
Junior guard Brittany Hrynko, the league's top returning scorer at 14.7 points per game, and senior forward Jasmine Penny (12.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg) represent DePaul's top scoring threats. Hrynko, last season's Co-Most Improved Player, has been selected Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches.
Creighton finished in second place in the Big East team poll with 67 points, including two first-place votes.
2013-14 Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. DePaul (8) 79
2. Creighton (2) 67
3. St. John's 62
4. Villanova 56
5. Marquette 55
6. Georgetown 36
7. Butler 31
8. Providence 25
9. Xavier 20
10. Seton Hall 19
First-place votes in parentheses
Big East Preseason Player of the Year: Brittany Hrynko, DePaul
Preseason Rookie of the Year: Shayla Cooper, Georgetown
Preseason All-Big East Team
Daress McClung, Butler, G/F, Sr., 6-0, Indianapolis, Ind.
Marissa Janning, Creighton, G, So., 5-8, Watertown, Minn.
Sarah Nelson, Creighton, F, Sr., 6-0, Omaha, Neb.
Jasmine Penny, DePaul, F, Sr., 6-1, Logansport, Ind.
Andrea White, Georgetown, F, 6-0, Sr., Lancaster, Va.
Katherine Plouffe, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-3, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Tori Rule, Providence, Jr., G, 5-7, Minneapolis, Minn.
Aliyyah Handford, St. John's, G, So., 5-9, Newark, N.J.
Ka-Deidre Simmons, Seton Hall, G, R-Jr., 5-8, Newark, N.J.
Caroline Coyer, Villanova, G, So., 5-10, Oak Hill, Va.
Honorable mention:
Arlesia Morse, Marquette, G, Jr., 5-10, Flint, Mich.
Ashley Wanninger, Xavier, G, Sr., 5-10, Cincinnati, Ohio
Eugenia McPherson, St. John's, G, R-Sr., 5-8, North Babylon, N.Y.