Clemson Women’s Basketball Picked to Finish Tenth in ACC Preseason Polls

GREENSBORO, NC – The Clemson women’s basketball team was picked to finish tenth in the Atlantic Coast Conference by both the ACC Head Coaches and the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) on Tuesday at the ACC Women’s Basketball Media Day in Greensboro, NC. Freshman Jonquel Jones was also named to the ACC Preseason Newcomer Watch List by both groups.

This season, the ACC’s Head Coaches and the Blue Ribbon Panel were given votes in the preseason awards for their respective polls. Both groups agreed upon Duke as the league favorite this season, garnering nine of twelve head coach votes and 29 of 47 votes from the BRP. Maryland (3 coaches, 18 BRP) was the only other team to garner first place votes.

Clemson was chosen to finish 10th in both polls. The Tigers were 6-22 in 2011-12, entering the tournament as the 12th seed, and falling to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament First Round.

The Lady Tigers enter the 2012-13 campaign with another young roster, featuring two juniors as the most senior members on the team. Clemson also has six sophomores and five freshmen in the mix. The 2012 recruiting class was ranked 16th nationally by ESPN Hoopgurlz, and feature Jones, the nation’s No. 17 overall prospect.

The 6-4 wing player is a native of Freeport, Bahamas, and was the Gatorade Player-of-the-Year in Maryland, as well as a WBCA All-American. Jones played high school basketball at Riverdale Baptist in Maryland, where her team went 35-2 and won the National Christian High School Championship.

Clemson returns seven letterwinners from last season and five players who started 15 or more games, including leading scorer Nikki Dixon, who represented the Lady Tigers at the annual media event.

Coaches Preseason Poll (first place votes in parentheses)1.  Duke (9)2.  Maryland (3)3.  Georgia Tech4.  North Carolina5.  MiamiT-6.  Florida StateT-6.  Virginia8.  NC State9.  Wake Forest10.  Clemson11.  Virginia Tech12.  Boston College

Preseason Coaches All-ACC TeamAlyssa Thomas (Maryland)Elizabeth Williams (Duke)Chelsea Gray (Duke)Tyaunna Marshall (Georgia Tech)Natasha Howard (Florida State)Tianna Hawkins (Maryland)Laurin Mincy (Maryland)Ataira Franklin (Virginia)Marissa Kastanek (NC State)Stefanie Yderstrom (Miami)

Preseason Coaches Players of the Year (3-way tie)Alyssa Thomas (Maryland)Elizabeth Williams (Duke)Chelsea Gray (Duke)

Preseason Coaches Newcomer Watch ListAlexis Jones – DukeMalina Howard – MarylandJonquel Jones – ClemsonXylina McDaniel – North CarolinaUju Ugoka – Virginia Tech

Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Poll (first place votes in parentheses)1.  Duke (29)2.  Maryland (18)3.  Georgia Tech4.  Virginia5.  North Carolina6.  Miami7.  Florida State8.  NC State9.  Wake Forest10.  Clemson11.  Virginia Tech12.  Boston College

Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC TeamAlyssa Thomas (Maryland) Elizabeth Williams (Duke)Chelsea Gray (Duke)Tyaunna Marshall (Georgia Tech)Natasha Howard (Florida State)Tianna Hawkins (Maryland)Laurin Mincy (Maryland)Ataira Franklin (Virginia)Marissa Kastanek (NC State)Stefanie Yderstrom (Miami)

Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Player of the YearAlyssa Thomas (Maryland)

Blue Ribbon Panel Newcomer Watch ListAlexis Jones – DukeMalina Howard – MarylandJonquel Jones – ClemsonXylina McDaniel – North CarolinaUju Ugoka – Virginia Tech