Tampa has been tabbed the preseason favorite to win the 2009-10 Sunshine State Conference women’s basketball championship.
Reigning co-champions of the conference, the Spartans received 121 points and 10 first-place votes in a preseason poll conducted among the league’s women’s basketball coaches and sports information directors. Rollins, which shared the title with the Spartans a year ago, was not far behind, tallying 113 points. The Tars received five first-place votes.
Nova Southeastern amassed 104 points to place third in the poll. The Sharks picked up the remaining three first-place nods. Florida Tech and Florida Southern were separated by the narrowest of margins. The Panthers totaled 74 points to rank fourth, while the Moccasins gathered 73 points to place fifth.
Eckerd’s 55 points placed the Tritons in the sixth slot, while Lynn came in seventh with 44 points. Barry (40) and Saint Leo (24) rounded out the ranks.
Tampa returns four starters from last year’s team that posted a 26-6 overall record and a 12-4 SSC mark. Among the returnees is junior guard Gianna Messina, who earned first team All-SSC recognition last season. Messina averaged 13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while starting all 32 contests. Senior forward Tiara Cook was an honorable mention all-conference selection, averaging 12.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.
A veteran guard duo will also lend valuable experience to the Spartan line-up. Senior Caitlyn Mitryk logged 29 starts last season and contributed 7.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per outing. In 31 starts, fellow senior Angela Guiu recorded 5.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per contest.
Rollins will return the services of three starters from the 2008-09 squad that posted a 25-6 overall mark and a 12-4 conference record. Leading the way will be senior guard Jessica Pressley, who was named second team All-SSC after averaging 10.7 points and 3.0 rebounds last season. Senior forward Brittainy Daiger contributed 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest, while sophomore guard Paris Moore tallied 7.3 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in her debut season. Moore’s efforts earned her a slot on the All-Freshman team last spring.
2009-10 SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
Rank – School, Points (1st place votes)
1 – Tampa, 121 (10)
2 – Rollins, 113 (5)
3 – Nova Southeastern, 104 (3)
4 – Florida Tech, 74
5 – Florida Southern, 73
6 – Eckerd, 55
7 – Lynn, 44
8 – Barry, 40
9 – Saint Leo, 24