For the 11th time in program history, Radford University women’s basketball team has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2017-18 Big South Preseason Coaches’ Poll, while senior forwards Jayda Worthy and Janayla White were named to the preseason all-conference first team. The league made the announcement Tuesday afternoon during its annual media day event at the Renaissance Suites Hotel.
The 2016-17 regular season champions return all five starters, losing only one letterwinner from a team that made its first Big South Tournament championship appearance since 2008. Radford received seven first-place votes for a total of 96 points in the voting by the league’s 10 head coaches. The Highlanders are followed by in-state rival Liberty, who tallied one first-place vote for a total of 81 points.
“Media Day generates even more eagerness to start playing and find out where your team is. Being picked preseason No.1 is probably a reflection of the work that last year’s team did and all that we have returning this season,” said head coach Mike McGuire. “It is certainly a position I want our program to work to be in each season. I know this motivates me even more to help our team become the best we can be and represent the Big South to our fullest potential.”
The preseason ranking of second is the highest since the 2007-08 poll when the Highlanders received 16 first-place votes on their way to being named preseason favorites. Since the Big South started doing preseason polls in 1986-87, there has only been three polls in which Radford or Liberty has not been selected as the preseason favorite.
“We also realize the poll provides no guarantees and we must attack this season with a high level of determination,” McGuire noted. “This team has a lot of veterans with a ton of experience. We know this conference is going to be a battle every night and we must prepare that way each day.”
Earning first-team honors in 2016-17, Worthy earned her first preseason honor after averaging 11.9 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game. The Toledo, Ohio native totaled 23 games in double-figure scoring, finishing with three games with 20-plus points. Worthy finished with a 59.3 field-goal percentage, ranking second in the league and third in program history.
A preseason first-teamer a season ago, White battled back from a slow start to finish with 9.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 1.6 blocks per game. Earning Big South honorable mention honors, White scored double-digits in nine of Radford’s final 11 games, finishing with 15 games of double-figures. The Virginia Beach, Va., native tallied a team-high eight double-doubles, collecting five in the final six games of the season. White finished the season as the league’s top rebounder and shot blocker.
“It is hard to believe that Jayda and Janayla are now seniors. It feels like yesterday that they first arrived on campus and we had to throw them into the fire as freshmen, while having them figure things out on the fly,” McGuire stated. “Being named to the preseason first-team is a credit to their body of work and production over the past three seasons. They have played a major role in the improvement of our program and I look forward to working with them in helping lead our team in their senior season.”
Preseason Player of the Year Emma Bockrath of High Point, Liberty’s Keyen Green and Presbyterian’s Cortney Storey joined the Radford duo on the first team.
Campbell placed third in the poll with 77 points, while High Point followed in fourth place with 73 points. The remaining two first-place votes went to the reigning tournament champions UNC Asheville to round out the top five with 65 points. Charleston Southern was sixth with 50 points, Gardner-Webb was seventh with 38 and Presbyterian rounded out the top eight with 37. Longwood (17) took ninth and Winthrop (16) followed to round out the preseason coaches’ poll.
The 2018 Big South Women’s Basketball Championship will be held March 8-11 in the Vines Center in Lynchburg.
“This season has the potential to be a demanding yet exciting one for us,” McGuire said. “Our non-conference schedule is very challenging and the Big South is going to be extremely competitive.”
In addition to Worthy and White; Radford returns All-Big South performer Destinee Walker, redshirt junior Claudia Quevedo and redshirt sophomore Jen Falconer in the starting lineup for McGuire’s fifth season at the helm of the Highlanders. Also, returning will be 2016-17 Big South All-Freshman team selection Khiana Johnson and 2015-16 All-Freshman honoree Lydia Rivers from a knee injury.
“This is an experienced team that has won a regular season championship. I expect this team to be focused, disciplined and hungry on a consistent basis all year long,” McGuire added. “We will need some players to step up and elevate their preparation in order for us to be successful. The majority of this group has steadily improved over the past two seasons and we must continue that upward trend this season.”
The Highlanders open their season inside the Dedmon Center on Nov. 12 with a matchup against Appalachian State.
2017-18 Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
1 Radford (7) 96
2 Liberty (1) 81
3 Campbell 77
4 High Point 73
5 UNC Asheville (2) 65
6 Charleston Southern 50
7 Gardner-Webb 38
8 Presbyterian 37
9 Longwood 17
10 Winthrop 16
2017-18 Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team:
Emma Bockrath (Preseason Player of the Year) High Point Junior
Keyen Green Liberty Sophomore
Jayda Worthy Radford Senior
Janayla White Radford Senior
Cortney Storey Presbyterian Senior
–RU Athletics