Oct. 13, 2010
Coach Burns Interview on The Mtn.
DENVER - The reigning MWC champion San Diego State women's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the league in 2011 in a vote by the nine head coaches and select media members released Wednesday at the conference's annual media day in Denver, Colo. The Aztecs, who advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and finished with a No. 20 national ranking a year ago, received three first-place votes and 147 points overall, trailing only TCU, which had 16 first-place votes (174 points).
"I was a little surprised (to be picked second), because TCU and BYU are similar to what we were a year ago in that they have everyone back and have been successful," SDSU head coach Beth Burns said. "But when you look at one through nine, everyone has a returning all-conference performer. We went to a Sweet 16 last year and we were 10-6 in the league and that just shows you the competitive depth that we have as a conference. Women's basketball in the MWC is so good that we had six postseason bids a year ago, and I can't see us not having more this season."
SDSU, which has been picked first or second each of the last three years, just edged out Brigham Young for second place, as the Cougars had 145 points and garnered the other two first-place votes. Utah was picked fourth, followed by Wyoming, New Mexico, UNLV, Colorado State and Air Force.
Individually, Aztec senior center Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) was tabbed to the five-member preseason all-league squad for the third straight year. SDSU sophomore guard Courtney Clements (Long Beach, Calif.), who redshirted a year ago after transferring from Arizona, was picked as the MWC's newcomer of the year and freshman guard Melissa Sweat (Bakersfield, Calif.) was chosen preseason freshman of the year.
Johnson has started all 97 of the team's games since coming to campus in 2007. She was a second-team all-conference pick a year ago, after earning first-team honors as a sophomore and honorable mention accolades as a freshman. Johnson is the team's top returning scorer (11.1 ppg.), was second in rebounding (6.3/g) and blocked shots (62) and led the Mountain West Conference in field-goal percentage in league outings with a 57.7 mark. The San Diego High grad ranks second in Aztec history in career blocks (210) and is already 15th in career points (1,188).
"I'm excited and proud for Paris, especially in a confidence standpoint, that she was chosen in the role of (preseason) all-conference," Burns said. "She has played just about every minute since she has arrived on campus and went to the Sweet Sixteen as a junior. I know she wants to lead her team beyond that this season."
Clements is expected to contribute immediately after redshirting a year ago due to NCAA transfer rules. She played one campaign at the University of Arizona in 2008-09, ranking second on the team in scoring with 10.2 points per outing and was the Wildcats' top 3-point threat (32 three's) and free-throw shooter (88.9 percent). Clements, who was named to the Pac-10 all-freshman team, is the second SDSU player in a row to pick up the MWC's preseason newcomer of the year distinction, as senior Jessika Bradley (Sacramento, Calif.) was honored and went on to win the award this past March.
"Courtney is a known quantity, because of what she has already accomplished at the college level," Burns said. "A lot of things change from then until now, but what is in everyone's mind is not only how talented she was as a prep athlete, but how effective she was in a very good league [Pac-10] as a freshman."
Sweat is a left-handed combo guard, who was ranked 70th overall and 20th nationally among shooting guard prospects by ESPN's HoopGurlz.com. She helped Stockdale High School in Bakersfield to four-straight CIF section title game appearances and was an all-state and two-time Bakersfield Californian Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Sweat is the second Aztec on the current roster to earn the league's preseason freshman-of-the-year award, joining Johnson, who was honored in 2007.
"Melissa is the one I'm probably most surprised about, although not from my perspective, because I voted for her," Burns said. "I attribute (her winning the award) to the fact that she played on an elite club team in Team Taurasi and has excelled against the highest level of age-group competition nationally and people have seen that."
TCU's Helena Sverrisdottir, who earned the league's top individual honor in 2009-10, was named the preseason player of the year. She and Johnson were joined by TCU's Emily Carter, Utah's Taryn Wicijowski and Wyoming's Hillary Carlson on the preseason all-conference squad.
The Aztecs, who return three starters and six letterwinners, opened practice for the 2010-11 campaign last Friday. The team's lone exhibition game is slated for Nov. 4, against UC San Diego at 7 p.m. at Viejas Arena. The official season-opener is also in San Diego, when preseason top-20 foe UCLA comes to town on Fri., Nov. 12 in a game televised nationally on The Mtn. at 7 p.m.
Season tickets for the 2010-11 San Diego State women's basketball home season are on sale now, starting at just $60. They can be purchased online at www.goaztecs.com, over the phone by calling 619-283-7378, or by visiting the Aztec Ticket Office at Qualcomm Stadium's Window "E." The ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
2010-11 MWC Preseason Poll
Rk. Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. TCU (16) 174
2. San Diego State (3) 147
3. BYU (2) 145
4. Utah 116
5. Wyoming 103
6. New Mexico 100
7. UNLV 64
8. Colorado State 59
9. Air Force 28
Note: Coaches cannot vote for their own teams.
2010-11 MWC Preseason All-Conference Team
Name, Class, Position Institution
Paris Johnson, Sr., C SDSU
Helena Sverrisdottir, Sr., G/F TCU
Emily Carter, Sr., G TCU
Taryn Wicijowski, So., C Utah
Hillary Carlson, Sr., F Wyoming
Preseason Player of the Year: Helena Sverrisdottir, G/F, TCU
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Courtney Clements, G, SDSU
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Melissa Sweat, G, SDSU