University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Player Vigers Named to Preseason Team
10/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 6, 2011
IRVING, Texas - Southern Miss senior Rachel Vigers was one of seven seniors selected to the eight-player Conference USA Preseason Team announced today by the league office.
Vigers is one of three returning starters for the Lady Eagles. Last season, she played in only seven conference games due to injury, but garnered All-C-USA third-team honors after averaging a team-high 16.4 points per game. Vigers also was second on the team in rebounding at 6.4 rebounds per contest.
Joining Vigers on the preseason team was Memphis' Brittany Carter, who was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year, and Jasmine Lee. Rounding out the team was Houston's Porsche Landry, UCF's Aisha Patrick, Rice's Jessica Kuster, the only non-senior, SMU's Christine Elliott and UTEP's Gloria Brown.
Southern Miss was picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll as voted on by the coaches. Memphis was voted to win the league title followed by Rice, UCF, Tulane and UTEP, UAB, Houston, SMU, Southern Miss, East Carolina, Tulsa and Marshall.
The Lady Eagles return only five letterwinners from last year's team. Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis welcomes six newcomers that include three junior college transfers, two freshmen and a redshirt freshman.
Southern Miss opens the 2011-12 season with an exhibition game against West Alabama on Nov. 7 before the regular season tilt against William Carey, Nov. 14 at 7.p.m.
Both men's and women's head coaches will convene in Irving, Texas on Oct. 11 for the annual C-USA Basketball Media Day. The Elma Roane Fieldhouse and the FedExForum will serve as the site of the 2012 C-USA Basketball Championship March 7-10.
2011-12 C-USA Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Memphis (7)
2. Rice (3)
3. UCF (1)
t4. Tulane (1)
t4. UTEP
6. UAB
7. Houston
8. SMU
9. Southern Miss
10. East Carolina
11. Tulsa
12. Marshall
(#) denotes first-place votes
2011-12 C-USA Women's Basketball Preseason Team
Porsche Landry -Houston/5-5/Sr./G/Houston, Texas/Madison HS
Brittany Carter -Memphis /5-9/Sr./G/Covington, Ga./Newton Country HS/Georgia
Jasmine Lee -Memphis/6-2/RS Sr./P/Bessemer, Ala./Jess Lanier HS/Georgia
Jessica Kuster -Rice/6-2/So./F/San Antonio, Texas/Reagan HS
Christine Elliott -SMU/6-2/Sr./P/Wichita, Kan./South HS
Rachel Vigers -Southern Miss/5-9/Sr./F/Baton Rouge, La./Copiah-Lincoln CC
Aisha Patrick -UCF/5-9/Sr./G/Rockledge, Fla./Rockledge HS
Gloria Brown -UTEP/6-2/Sr./F/Philadelphia, Pa./Trinity Valley CC
2011-12 C-USA Women's Basketball
Preseason Player of the Year
Brittany Carter Memphis
