Photo by: Bennett Scarborough
Women’s Basketball Selected Second in Preseason Poll, Ngwafang Tallies All-Conference Nod
11/10/2020 9:31:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As announced in the 2020-21 preseason poll by the Big South Conference on Tuesday morning, Radford women's basketball was selected to finish second overall. Amele Ngwafang represented the Highlanders on the All-Conference Second Team.
Radford received a pair of first-place votes, a tally which is voted on by the league's head coaches. Radford finished only five points behind predicted conference front-runner Campbell, who garnered a total of 112 points with six first-place votes. The Panthers of High Point also tallied several first-place votes, seeing a total of 104 points. In the Highlanders' decorated history in the preseason poll, they've been ranked in the top-5 a total of 28 times and on a current five year streak.
"We are certainly excited for the opportunity to compete this season regardless of what is thrown at us along the way with COVID-19," said head coach Mike McGuire. "We know preseason polls mean very little in the grand scheme of things but we do have the expectation to compete for Big South championships annually. This team is young and inexperienced in a lot of areas but we are not short of talent. I look forward to starting this journey with our team regardless of what the season may look like."
Ngwafang's exponential growth from her freshman to sophomore caught the league's eye and has been noted by her placement on the All-Conference list. During the 2019-20 season she was named the College Sports Madness Mid-Major Player of the Week for the Big South back on January 6. She played in all 29 games, started in eight, averaged 20.8 minutes per game, shot 41.8 percent from the floor, 63.4 percent from the free throw line, and 8.1 blocks per game. Ngwafang concluded the season with 234 rebounds, 12 assists, 15 blocks, 27 steals and 247 points. She set a new career-high in scoring and free throws made versus USC Upstate with 23 and 13 respectively. Her growth on the court led her to being ranked nationally for total rebounds, rebounds per game, free throws made and attempted. She also ranked inside the top-15 in the Big South for rebounding, free throw percentage, offensive and defensive rebounds a season ago. Ngwafang posted seven double-doubles on the year, with her first coming in the second game of the season at South Carolina State with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
"Amele has worked hard to grow in her first two years with us," stated McGuire. "Last year, she took a big step in terms of her playing time and wanting to have a bigger role on our team. She continues to grow as a student-athlete here and we are proud of her for receiving the preseason recognition. I hope this fuels her to work harder to prepare for the upcoming season and for the rest of her career."
2020-21 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Note: points are based on a weighted system. First-place votes received 11 points, followed by 10 points for second-place, and so on.
2020-21 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
First-Team
Skyler Curran, High Point (Preseason Player of the Year)
Laren VanArsdale, Hampton
Kyla McMakin, Longwood
Nylah Young, Hampton
Nadiria Evans, UNC Asheville
Second-Team
Trinity Johnson, Presbyterian College
Taya Bolden, Campbell
ShyAnne Tuelle, Campbell
Luana Serranho, Campbell
Amele Ngwafang, Radford
The annual Big South Conference Media Day will be held virtually this year, fans will be able to view the event on ESPN+. Radford's section will be in part two of the show at approximately 2:45 p.m. The 2020-21 season will commence on Wednesday, November 25 in Chapel Hill, N.C. against the Tar Heels of North Carolina.
FOLLOW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Radford women's basketball team follow @Radford_WBB on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Women's Basketball on Facebook
Radford received a pair of first-place votes, a tally which is voted on by the league's head coaches. Radford finished only five points behind predicted conference front-runner Campbell, who garnered a total of 112 points with six first-place votes. The Panthers of High Point also tallied several first-place votes, seeing a total of 104 points. In the Highlanders' decorated history in the preseason poll, they've been ranked in the top-5 a total of 28 times and on a current five year streak.
"We are certainly excited for the opportunity to compete this season regardless of what is thrown at us along the way with COVID-19," said head coach Mike McGuire. "We know preseason polls mean very little in the grand scheme of things but we do have the expectation to compete for Big South championships annually. This team is young and inexperienced in a lot of areas but we are not short of talent. I look forward to starting this journey with our team regardless of what the season may look like."
Ngwafang's exponential growth from her freshman to sophomore caught the league's eye and has been noted by her placement on the All-Conference list. During the 2019-20 season she was named the College Sports Madness Mid-Major Player of the Week for the Big South back on January 6. She played in all 29 games, started in eight, averaged 20.8 minutes per game, shot 41.8 percent from the floor, 63.4 percent from the free throw line, and 8.1 blocks per game. Ngwafang concluded the season with 234 rebounds, 12 assists, 15 blocks, 27 steals and 247 points. She set a new career-high in scoring and free throws made versus USC Upstate with 23 and 13 respectively. Her growth on the court led her to being ranked nationally for total rebounds, rebounds per game, free throws made and attempted. She also ranked inside the top-15 in the Big South for rebounding, free throw percentage, offensive and defensive rebounds a season ago. Ngwafang posted seven double-doubles on the year, with her first coming in the second game of the season at South Carolina State with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
"Amele has worked hard to grow in her first two years with us," stated McGuire. "Last year, she took a big step in terms of her playing time and wanting to have a bigger role on our team. She continues to grow as a student-athlete here and we are proud of her for receiving the preseason recognition. I hope this fuels her to work harder to prepare for the upcoming season and for the rest of her career."
2020-21 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Rk. | Team (first-place votes) | Total Points |
| 1. | Campbell (6) | 112 |
| 2. | Radford (2) | 107 |
| 3. | High Point (3) | 104 |
| 4. | Hampton | 86 |
| 5. | Gardner-Webb | 70 |
| 6. | Longwood | 66 |
| 7. | UNC Asheville | 56 |
| 8. | Presbyterian | 48 |
| 9. | USC Upstate | 30 |
| 10. | Charleston Southern | 24 |
| 11. | Winthrop | 23 |
2020-21 Big South Conference Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
First-Team
Skyler Curran, High Point (Preseason Player of the Year)
Laren VanArsdale, Hampton
Kyla McMakin, Longwood
Nylah Young, Hampton
Nadiria Evans, UNC Asheville
Second-Team
Trinity Johnson, Presbyterian College
Taya Bolden, Campbell
ShyAnne Tuelle, Campbell
Luana Serranho, Campbell
Amele Ngwafang, Radford
The annual Big South Conference Media Day will be held virtually this year, fans will be able to view the event on ESPN+. Radford's section will be in part two of the show at approximately 2:45 p.m. The 2020-21 season will commence on Wednesday, November 25 in Chapel Hill, N.C. against the Tar Heels of North Carolina.
FOLLOW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Radford women's basketball team follow @Radford_WBB on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Women's Basketball on Facebook
Players Mentioned
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