Ross Headlines Preseason All-MWC Selections
10/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2007
LITTLETON, Colo. - TCU women's basketball Head Coach Jeff Mittie and returning seniors Lorie Butler-Rayford and Adrianne Ross met with the Mountain West Conference press contingent Wednesday during MWC Media Day activities at the Mtn. television studios. Wednesday marked an off day from practice for the Lady Frogs.
Along with the day's media activities came the release of the league's annual preseason poll and all-conference team, both of which were selected from a voting panel consisting of the nine head coaches and select women's basketball media. The Lady Frogs were picked to finish second in the league behind MWC-favorite Wyoming after receiving two first-place votes and 188 points. The Cowgirls were the overwhelming favorite with 24 of a possible 30 first-place tallies.
"Going into the day, I figured we would probably be picked almost anywhere in the top four," Mittie said after learning of his team's high selection. "What we have is a case of a really balanced conference, especially at the top, and it's really just wide open as to who can win."
Ross, the returning co-Mountain West Conference MVP, was chosen by the panel as Top Returning Player in addition to appearing on the Preseason All-Conference Team. A Hobbs, N.M., native, Ross won the MWC scoring title a year ago at 17.3 points per game in addition to leading the league in steals at 2.9 per game. Ross and Butler-Rayford are among five returning senior Lady Frogs who will attempt to push TCU into its eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament this season.
"Adrianne's selection really comes as no surprise to me," Mittie said. "With her winning co-MVP last year, you'd expect her to get that same kind of attention entering this season."
Among the media gathering in Denver Wednesday were television crews from both The Mtn. and CSTV networks. Mittie, Butler-Rayford and Ross were each interviewed one-on-one with the two networks before giving interviews with other local television crews and print media representatives. Mittie also sat in on an hour-long roundtable discussion that included all nine MWC women's head coaches earlier during the morning and will air on The Mtn at a later date.
TCU returns to Fort Worth Wednesday evening and will resume its usual practice schedule Thursday morning, as the squad continues to prepare to open its season Nov. 1 with a home exhibition against Lake Truck Lines.
| 2007-08 Mountain West Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Media Poll | ||
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Wyoming (24) | 203 |
| 2. | TCU (2) | 188 |
| 3. | BYU (1) | 182 |
| 4. | New Mexico (3) | 174 |
| 5. | Utah | 158 |
| 6. | UNLV | 109 |
| 7. | San Diego State | 93 |
| 8. | Colorado State | 53 |
| 9. | Air Force | 37 |
| Note: Coaches do not vote for their own teams. | ||
| 2007-08 Mountain West Conference Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team | |||
| Name | Class | Position | Institution |
| Adrianne Ross | Sr. | G | TCU |
| Dionne Marsh | Sr. | F | New Mexico |
| Hanna Zavecz | Sr. | F | Wyoming |
| Morgan Warburton | Jr. | G | Utah |
| Mallary Gillespie-Carling | Sr. | G | BYU |
| Top Returning Player Adrianne Ross, Sr., G, TCU | |||
| Top Newcomer Leilani Mitchell, Sr., G, Utah | |||
| Top Freshman Paris Johnson, Fr., C, San Diego State | |||
PRESEASON ALL-MWC TEAM PLAYER PROFILES
Adrianne Ross, Sr., G, TCU
Named MWC Co-Player of the Year in 2006-07...Led the conference in scoring (17.3 ppg) and steals (2.91 spg)...Named Kodak/WBCA and AP honorable mention All-America...Ranked 18th in the country for her steals average...Scored in double-digits 28 times last year, including a career-high 26 points vs. Colorado State on Jan. 6...Set a league and school record with 10 steals at UNLV on Feb. 3, 2007...Led TCU to its seventh consecutive NCAA appearance in 2007.
Dionne Marsh, Sr., F, New Mexico
Named to the all-MWC team each of her three years at New Mexico...Named the 2007 MWC Tournament MVP after leading the Lobos to their fourth tournament title...Was also named the 2005 MWC Tournament MVP...Was fourth in the MWC for scoring at 14.7 ppg and first on the team in rebounding at 6.3 rpg last season....Set the all-time Lobo and MWC career record for free-throw attempts and makes with 648 and 459, respectively... Last season, hit the 1,000 point and 500 rebound mark to become just the 12th Lobo to reach that milestone...Second-fastest player in MWC history to reach 1,000 points (69 games).
Hanna Zavecz, Sr., F, Wyoming
Earned all-MWC first-team honors as a sophomore and a junior...Led Wyoming to the WNIT Championship title and the most wins in Cowgirl history last year...Named the WNIT Championship MVP...Also named Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-America...Led Wyoming in points (13.9 ppg), assists (3.83 apg), steals (1.69 spg) and blocks (1.40 bpg)...Recorded double-figures in scoring 27 times in 2006-07...Scored a career-high 28 points against Kansas State in the WNIT on March 28, 2007.
Morgan Warburton, Jr., G, Utah
Named first-team all-MWC as a sophomore...Second in the league in scoring and first on the team, averaging 15.8 ppg...Ninth in the country in 2006-07 in free-throw percentage at 88.2 percent (135-153)...Led Utah in assists at 3.12 apg, and 3-point field-goals per game at 1.55 pg... Scored in double-figures in 29 of 33 games last season...Set personal career highs in points (26), rebounds (10), assists (7) and steals (4) in 2006-07.
Mallary Gillespie-Carling, Sr., G, BYU
Leading scorer for BYU, averaging 13.6 ppg in 2006-07...Led BYU to the 2007 MWC regular-season title...Named all-MWC second-team last year, while also being named to the championship all-tournament team...Ranked third in the MWC last season for 3-point field-goals made (2.3 pg)...Broke the 1,000 point barrier against Louisville in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
