Maya Moore, UConn team are top preseason vote-getters among Big East coaches

Moore, UConn get nod in Big East preseason vote

NEW YORK — Connecticut forward Maya Moore, the Big East’s top player the last two seasons, was the coaches’ choice as the league’s preseason player of the year on Thursday.

Her UConn team also was voted most likely to win its fourth straight conference championship.

“It’s great to be considered as one of the best in the league,” Moore said. “I’m just lucky to have really good teammates around me and that makes me that much better.”

Moore, The Associated Press player of the year last season, averaged 19.3 points and 8.9 rebounds to guide Connecticut to a 39-0 record and sixth national championship. She was joined as a unanimous selection on the all-conference team by UConn teammate Tina Charles.

Led by its two stars, the Huskies were a unanimous choice among the league’s coaches to win again. Notre Dame, with its entire team back, was chosen to finish second in the preseason poll. Irish freshman Skylar Diggins was picked as the preseason rookie of the year.

“It just means there are very high expectations for us,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. “This is a very tough league to win in especially on the road.”

DePaul and Louisville were tied for third in the poll. Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Georgetown round out the top half of the league. West Virginia was ninth, followed by Marquette, South Florida, St. John’s, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence and Cincinnati.

The Bearcats are led by first-year head coach Jamelle Elliott, who spent the last 12 years as an assistant at Connecticut under coach Geno Auriemma.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while,” Elliott said. “I was used to making suggestions before but now I get to make the decisions. I’ve had a really good role model and mentor who has helped me prepare over the last 16 years of my life.”

For the second straight year, all 16 teams will make the postseason tournament.

Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, who was enshrined in the National Basketball Hall of Fame this summer, missed the media day due to the death of her sister-in-law. DePaul coach Doug Bruno also missed the day because his father passed away this week.

Marquette’s Angel Robinson joined Moore and Charles as the only other unanimous selection to the 12-person all-conference team.

The others on the team were Ashley Barlow and Lindsay Schrader of Notre Dame, Keisha Hampton and Deirdre Naughton of DePaul, Tiffany Hayes of Connecticut, Nicole Michael of Syracuse, Liz Repella of West Virginia, Kahla Roudebush of Cincinnati, and Da’Shena Stevens of St. John’s.