IRVING, Texas - Senior All-American candidate Chastity Gooch has been named the Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year and an All-Conference selection alongside teammates Alexis Govan and Kendall Noble, it was announced on Wednesday by the league offices.
Gooch, Govan and Noble took up three slots on the eight-member Preseason All-Conference USA Women's Basketball team.
Head coach Michelle Clark-Heard's Lady Toppers were also picked to finish second in the 14-team Conference USA standings in a vote by the league coaches, narrowly being edged out by Middle Tennessee for the top spot in the preseason predictions. WKU received five first place votes and 179 points overall while Middle Tennessee received six first place votes and 181 points. Southern Miss, UTEP, Charlotte, Old Dominion and LA Tech rounded out the top half of the standings. Overall, five different teams received first place votes in the preseason evaluation from league coaches.
WKU is set to begin its inaugural season as a member of Conference USA when the regular season tips off on Nov. 14, 2014. The program goes through its first official event as a league member next week during the league's Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday.
Gooch's selection as the preseason Player of the Year in Conference USA marks the second consecutive season that a WKU player has been named a preseason league Player of the Year. Last season, Govan was a preseason Player of the Year honoree by the Sun Belt Conference. Govan's selection as the Preseason SBC Player of the Year was the first preseason SBC Player of the Year honor for WKU since 2008-09 when Dominique Duck earned the nod from league coaches.
Gooch averaged 18.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest for WKU last season, leading the team to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship and WKU's 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. She enjoyed one of the most productive seasons in WKU history, placing 10th on WKU's single-season scoring record book and moving into the top 20 in career scoring and top 10 in both rebounds and blocks at WKU. Gooch, a two-time winner of the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year award, is the leading active career point scorer in Conference USA with 1,322 career points, one of just four active players in the league with 1,000 career points or more entering the 2014-15 season.
Govan, a senior All-American candidate, played in just 11 games in 2013-14 due to a stress fracture in her left tibia. She played in every non-conference game before the injury caused her to miss the remainder of the season, including all 18 conference games, the three conference tournament game and the NCAA Tournament game with Baylor. Govan averaged 16.5 points in 11 starts for WKU. She shot over 43 percent from the field and piled up 4.6 rebounds per game. WKU was 8-3 with Govan in the lineup. Her last action came on Dec. 21, 2013 when she hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds against Georgetown to cap a 16-point comeback win in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the Puerto Rico Classic.
Her early success in 2013-14 came on the heels of an outstanding 2012-13 campaign that saw her rank among the nation's leading scorers. Govan was the third highest scoring sophomore in the nation and 15th highest scoring player overall. Her 20.3 points per game ranked as the fourth most by a player in program history as she was named a First Team All-Conference selection. Her 671 points ranked as the sixth most in a single season in program history. Her most notable individual performance of the year came when she scored 40 points in an 82-80 win over North Texas on Dec. 29, 2012 in E.A. Diddle Arena, one of just 14 40-point performances in the nation during the 2012-13 season and one of just three by a sophomore.
Noble, a redshirt sophomore, emerged as one of the nation's most versatile players last season. She finished the 2013-14 season as the only freshman in the nation averaging at least 10.0 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest in conference play this season. She finished her first full year on the floor averaging 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while compiling 96 assists and 76 steals.
In program history, Noble is one of just 11 players to reach 275 points or more during their freshman season at WKU. She finished the year ranked seventh in WKU history for WKU freshmen. All-time leading scorer Crystal Kelly owns the WKU record for points by a freshmen with 579. Noble finished the season with 342 points.
The Lady Toppers will take the floor in front of the public on Saturday, Oct. 18 when WKU hosts Hilltopper Hysteria in E.A. Diddle Arena at 6:00 p.m. CT. Hilltopper Hysteria includes individual player and coach introductions for both the men's and women's program, scrimmages by both teams, a slam dunk contest, three-point contest and an autograph session with both teams to end the night. Hilltopper Hysteria will also feature performances from the WKU Pep Band, the WKU Topperettes, the WKU Cheerleaders and Big Red.
WKU takes the floor for their lone exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:00 p.m. CT when the Lady Toppers host Bellarmine before hosting the opening round of the 2014 Preseason Women's NIT on Friday, Nov. 14 against Central Arkansas at 7:00 p.m. CT in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at WKUSports.com or by calling the WKU Ticket Office at 1-800-5-BIG RED or 745-5222 locally.
2014-15 Preseason C-USA Women's Basketball Poll
1. Middle Tennessee (6) - 181 points
2. WKU (5) - 179 points
3. Southern Miss (1) - 163 points
4. UTEP (1) - 154 points
5. Charlotte - 132 points
6. Old Dominion - 116 points
7. LA Tech - 105 points
8. UAB - 104 points
t9. North Texas - 70 points
t9. UTSA (1) - 70 points
11. FIU - 61 points
12. Rice - 58 points
13. Florida Atlantic - 45 points
14. Marshall - 32 points
(#) - designates first-place votes
Preseason Player of the Year
Chastity Gooch, WKU
2014-15 Preseason All-Conference USA Women's Basketball Team
Lefty Webster, Charlotte, So., G, Norfolk, Virginia
Whitney Frazier, LA Tech, Sr., F, El Dorado, Arkansas
Olivia Jones, Middle Tennessee, So., G/F, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Tamara Jones, Southern Miss, Sr., F, Prosser, Washington
Chelsee Black, UAB, Jr., G, Bessemer, Alabama
Chastity Gooch, WKU, Sr., F, Franklin, Kentucky
Alexis Govan, WKU, Sr., G/F, San Antonio, Texas
Kendall Noble, WKU, RS So., G, Hazard, Kentucky
HOW TO FOLLOW THE LADY TOPPERS: For complete information on Lady Topper Basketball, visit www.wkusports.com, follow the program on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball, follow the program on Instagram via "LadyTopperHoops" or follow the program on Twitter via @LadyTopperHoops.
Upcoming Events in Lady Topper Basketball
October 15: Conference USA Media Day in Birmingham, Ala.
October 18: Hilltopper Hysteria at E.A. Diddle Arena from 6:00-8:00 PM (CT)
November 7: Exhibition game vs. Bellarmine at E.A. Diddle Arena at 7:00 PM (CT)
November 14: vs. Central Arkansas in Preseason WNIT at E.A. Diddle Arena at 7:00 PM (CT)
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