D3hoops.com announces Preseason All-Americans
My NJAC prediction/preview is also included in this post as I continue my preseason coverage
The path through the preseason continued this morning, with the release of the always-anticipated D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Team. We had the first Top 25 poll published late last week, and now with the announcement of the preseason All-Americans, we find ourselves just over a week from tip-off! Below are all five teams included in the preseason honors, composed of 25 high-caliber players from coast-to-coast. Check out D3hoops.com’s full release here.
First team
G — Sydney Jones, Bowdoin, Sr.
G — Brianna Fitzgerald, SUNY New Paltz, Sr.
G/F — Kasey Schipfer, Ohio Wesleyan, Sr.
F — Natalie Bruns, New York University, Sr.
F — Mary Schleusner, Washington and Lee, Jr.
Second team
G — Raegan Sorensen, UW-Stout, Sr.
G — Kacie Carollo, UW-Whitewater, Sr.
F — Korin Baker, Whitman, Sr.
F — Jaedon Murphy, Wartburg, Sr.
C — Zoe Tomlinson, Colorado College, Jr.
Third Team
G — Anna Scoblick, Catholic, Jr.
G — Olivia Rangel, Carroll, Sr.
G — Belle Pellecchia, New York University, Sr.
G/F — Kaci Kranson, Scranton, Jr.
C — Elsa Daulerio, Bates, Jr.
Fourth Team
G — Sidney Wagner, Trine, Sr.
G — Chandler Eddleton, Marymount, Sr.
G/F — Lauren Huber, Illinois Wesleyan, Sr.
F — Jordan Carpenter, Penn State-Harrisburg, Sr.
F — Lexy Harris, WashU, So.
Fifth Team
G — Jessica Brooks, WashU, Sr.
G — Alexa Mustafaj, Middlebury, Sr.
G — Toni Thompson, Babson, Sr.
F — Angela Czeremcha, Springfield, Sr.
C — Carly Whiteside, Mass-Dartmouth, Sr.
Conference Predictions: The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC)
Pick to Win: Kean
The NJAC has one of the lower returning production rates of any conference in the country, and that dynamic doesn’t make this very easy. On the surface, NJCU will be in a much different situation than in past years, with the departure of all-time leading scorer Damaris Rodriguez. A playmaking guard, Rodriguez averaged 20 PPG last season and was the heart of NJCU’s offense for several seasons, which makes replacing her extremely difficult. That said, the Gothic Knight’s beat D2 Bloomfield last night and brought in Saint Elizabeth transfer Destiny Battle at point guard. While NJCU won’t have as much experience on the floor compared to past years, the pieces are there. It’ll just require a different style of play without an All-American scorer like Rodriguez on the floor. NJCU wasn’t the only team that lost quite a bit, though. TCNJ, who finished tied with the Gothic Knights atop the NJAC, lost leading scorer Julia Setaro along with starters Izzy Leazier, Natalie Kolb, and Kaitlyn Deiter. 5’10 forward Isabella Cafaro is also not on this season’s roster after contributing well off the bench as a senior last season. Nina Branchizio is the Lions’ lone returning starter, though Jaclyn Feit (Franklin & Marshall) and Molly Aromando (Catholic) both transferred in, which should help. I just don’t know, without having seen them play obviously, how it will work, particularly in the post.
Kean stands out in this conversation, at least when talking about last year’s top three. The highest-scoring offense in the NJAC, Kean went 17-10 and reached the conference semifinals before falling to NJCU. Did they lose some to graduation? Yes, from the looks of it, though I don’t have a confirmed roster for Kean yet. Brittany Graff, who averaged 35.4 min/game, was a senior last year but has one more year of eligibility left. Center Shahd Badeer will leave after putting up 8.1 PPG as a grad student last season, and guard/forward Sarah Weber is another situation where she was a senior, yet has an additional year of eligibility. But it certainly seems like Kean’s returning group will be strong, led by sophomore guard Gigi Gamble, who was a big reason for Kean’s league-leading scoring average. Gamble averaged 18.1 PPG along with 3.8 assists/game and did it as a freshman, which adds even more significance to it. Guard/forward Riley Ahrens put up a solid 10 PPG, 6.0 RPG stat line as a true freshman last winter as well, and junior guard Maya Edwards should contribute to the backcourt in a big way after starting all 27 contests a year ago. Even without Badeer, I think Kean will be okay in the post, as 6’3 center Macy Seaman (7.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG) is expected to return and may step into an even more prominent role this season.
Kean is talented enough — and experienced enough — to win the league, especially if the offensive attack continues operating at a higher rate. The Cougars were the NJAC’s best in the assists category (16.1 APG) and shot a NJAC-high 42.4% from the field. There are obviously some variables with TCNJ and NJCU, but I expect they’ll be in the mix. Then you have to consider at team like William Paterson, who is an outlier in the NJAC this year with nearly its entire roster coming back. But Kean’s returning group is more proven in my opinion, and certainly has a good chance at winning its first NJAC title since 2010 this season.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Gigi Gamble, Kean
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Olivia Vero, Montclair State
Picks so far → AMCC: PSU Behrend, A-R-C: Wartburg, ASC: ETBU, AEC: Marymount, Centennial: Johns Hopkins, CUNYAC: Baruch, C2C: Christopher Newport, CCIW: Illinois Wesleyan, CCS: LaGrange, CNE: Western New England, MACC: Messiah, E8: Nazareth, MACF: Stevens, GNAC: Albertus Magnus, HCAC: Berea, Landmark: Catholic, Liberty: Vassar, LEC: UMass Dartmouth, MASCAC: Bridgewater State, MIAA: Trine, MWC: Ripon, MIAC: Gustavus Adolphus, NEWMAC: Springfield, NESCAC: Bowdoin, NJAC: Kean
Up Next: NAC