Oct. 11, 2011
DENVER - For the fourth consecutive season, the San Diego State women's basketball team has been picked to finish in the top two in the Mountain West in 2012, earning its second consecutive second-place selection and third in the last four years in a vote by the league's eight head coaches and select media members. The preseason poll, which was released Tuesday at the conference's annual media day in Denver, Colo., had the Aztecs with 127 total points and seven of the 20 first-place votes.
TCU was tabbed as the preseason favorite with 136 points and 12 first-place votes. Colorado State was selected third behind the Aztecs, earning the final first-place vote, and was followed by New Mexico, UNLV, Wyoming, Air Force and Mountain West newcomer Boise State.
"The only opinion that matters right now is our team's and we're just excited to get started," said head coach Beth Burns, who is in her seventh campaign of her second stint at SDSU. "Last year, we had a very senior-laden league and TCU has some proven, experienced players (returning). Everyone else is somewhat unproven and inexperienced and I wouldn't be surprised if the order is totally reversed by the end of the season."
Individually for the second campaign in a row, San Diego State swept both the preseason newcomer and freshman of the year awards. Junior guard Chelsea Hopkins (Las Vegas, Nev.) was chosen as the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, following in the footsteps of current teammate Courtney Clements (Long Beach, Calif.) and recent graduate Jessika Bradley, who earned the honor both in the preseason and at the end of the year in 2010 and 2011.
Hopkins redshirted a year ago after playing at Duke from 2008-10. She logged minutes in 46 contests with the Blue Devils, helping them to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2010. Hopkins played at Mojave High School in Las Vegas, where she led the state in scoring as a junior (27.7 ppg.) and senior (28.5 ppg.). As a prep, she was rated the No. 12 point guard recruit in the nation by Hoopgurlz.com, and has already been tabbed the Aztecs' team captain for this season.
SDSU's Chairese Culberson (Oakland, Calif.) was chosen as the conference's top freshman, after leading Berkeley High School to a runner-up performance at the California state Division I tournament this past March. The 6-0 forward was the top ranked recruit in the Mountain West by Hoopgurlz, receiving a rating of 46th overall and seventh at the wing position. Culberson was a second-team all-state Division I honoree as a senior, when she averaged 13 points and 12 rebounds a game for the 31-2 Yellowjackets.
A year ago, current Aztec sophomore Melissa Sweat (Bakersfield, Calif.) was named the league's preseason freshman of the year, while former standout Paris Johnson was picked in 2007.
"I'm glad for both Chelsea and Chairese that their past performances have given them this recognition and deservedly so," Burns said. "It's nice in October, but our goal is to have the rookie and newcomer of the year every season in March."
Colorado State senior Kim Mestdagh, who is a two-time second-team all-league selection, was named the preseason player of the year. She was joined by Air Force's Dymond James, New Mexico's Sara Halasz, TCU's Starr Crawford and UNLV Jamie Smith on the preseason all-conference squad.
"The fact that we don't have anyone on the all-conference team embodies what this team is all about," Burns said. "We are a team and no one or two people drive the bus. This Aztec team, maybe more than any that we've had in my most recent tenure, has competitive depth and has a relatively low drop off from one spot to the next. At this point in our workouts, everyone will have an opportunity to contribute from the returnees to the rookies. (Playing time) will truly be determined over the next 22 days."
The Aztecs, whose roster features seven players who did not compete for SDSU a year ago, officially opened practice for the 2011-12 campaign last Wednesday. The team's lone exhibition game is slated for Nov. 7, against UC San Diego at 5 p.m. at Viejas Arena. The official season-opener is also in San Diego, when first-time foe Arkansas-Pine Bluff comes to town a week later on Monday, Nov. 14, for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
Season tickets for the 2011-12 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.
2011-12 Mountain West Preseason Poll
Rk. Team (1st-place votes) Points1. TCU (12) 1362. San Diego State (7) 1273. Colorado State (1) 1064. New Mexico 745. UNLV 65 Wyoming 657. Air Force 428. Boise State 39Note: Coaches cannot vote for their own teams.
2011-12 Mountain West Preseason All-Conference TeamName, Class, Position InstitutionDymond James, Jr., F Air ForceKim Mestdagh, Sr., G/F Colorado StateSara Halasz, Jr., G New MexicoStarr Crawford, Jr., F TCUJamie Smith, Sr., F UNLV
Preseason Player of the Year: Kim Mestdagh, G/F, Colorado StatePreseason Newcomer of the Year: Chelsea Hopkins, G, SDSUPreseason Freshman of the Year: Chairese Culberson, G, SDSU