MTSU Basketball Teams Predicted To Win It All

October 13, 2008

MTSU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are predicted to win the Sun Belt Conference this year. They’re the pre-season number ones. It marks the first time the men have been voted number one on the men’s side and the first time both the men’s and women’s teams have been chosen together. The Raiders have been in the Sun Belt since 2001.

This time last year Middle Tennessee’s Desmond “Boogie” Yates wasn’t even on the preseason All-SBC third team.

He evidently gained a great deal of respect from the league’s coaches in a one-year span because they voted the Blue Raider junior forward the Sun Belt’s Preseason Player of the Year after a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him earn first-team All-SBC honors and help lead Middle Tennessee to the conference tournament championship game.

If Yates remembers what got him to this point Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis believes his talented front court performer who presents major mismatch problems for opponents can have another sensational season.

All-SBC Preseason Team
First Team
Carlos Monroe, FAU
Russell Hicks, FIU
Desmond Yates, MT
Josh White, NT
Brandon Davis, USA

Second team
Tony Hooper, ULM
Kevin Kanaskie, MT
Collin Dennis, NT
Domonic Tilford, USA
Jeremy Evans, WKU

Third team
Steven Moore, UALR
Paul Graham III, FAU
Chris Gradnigo, ULL
Kyndall Dykes, UNO
A.J. Slaughter, WKU

Player of the Year
Desmond Yates (MT, Jr., F)

On the women’s side…Despite being picked by coaches to win the East Blue Raider junior guard Chelsea Lymon was the only Middle Tennessee player named to the preseason All-SBC team. She was a second-team selection. Middle Tennessee is the only team among the top four contenders (two on each side) to have just one player selected and it is the only school of the top four to have just one player selected overall.

Perhaps the reason is this year’s Blue Raiders expect to be a more balanced scoring team than the previous two years when Chrissy Givens and Holt handled the bulk of the offensive load, respectively.

Preseason All-SBC
First Team
Anshel Cooper (UALR, Jr., G)
Kim Sitzmann (UALR, Jr., G)
Veronica Smith (Arkansas State, Jr., G)
Amber Jackson (North Texas, Sr., F)
Dominique Duck (WKU, Sr., F)

Second Team
Monika Bosilj (FIU, Jr., G)
Chelsia Lymon (Middle Tennessee, Jr., G)
Brittany Helm (New Orleans, Jr., G)
Brittney James (North Texas, Jr., G)
Arnika Brown (WKU, So., F)

Third Team
Shay Scott (Arkansas State, So., F)
Lottie Moore (ULM, Sr., G)
Shakira Nettles (South Alabama, Jr., G)
Kylie Morrissy (Troy, Sr., G/F)
Kenzie Rich (WKU, Jr., G)