Lady Raiders Picked Second In Big 12 Media Poll
October 30, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 30, 2001
Media Preseason All-Conference Selections in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
DALLAS -- A panel of 18 media representatives agreed with Big 12 head coaches by picking Oklahoma to defend its 2000-01 Big 12 regular season championship in 2001-02.
The Sooners garnered 17 first place votes in the media poll and tallied 212 points. The media's second and third places were also identical to the coaches with Texas Tech picked to finish second with 186 points and Iowa State chosen third with the other first place vote and 178 points.
Baylor was chosen fourth in the media poll with 157 points, followed by Colorado in fifth with 147 points and Texas sixth with 139 points. Big 12 coaches had Colorado fourth, Texas fifth and Baylor sixth.
The remainder of the media poll includes: 7. Kansas State, T8. Nebraska and Oklahoma State, 10. Missouri, 11. Kansas, and 12. Texas A&M. The only difference between the media and coaches polls in places seven through 12 was the eighth place tie between Nebraska and Oklahoma State. The coaches picked NU eighth and OSU ninth.
Oklahoma's Stacey Dales was picked by the media and coaches to repeat as Big 12 Player of the Year. The 6-0 senior guard led the conference in assists last year with 7.29 per game and assist/turnover ratio with a 1.77 ratio. She was eighth in the league in scoring (16.0 ppg) and eighth in steals (2.41 spg) while being named a consensus All-America. Dales was a member of the Canadian National Team that competed in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, and in the COPABA Tournament of the Americas in Sao Luis, Brazil, in September, 2001.
Nebraska's Keasha Cannon was named preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and her teammate Katie Robinette was honored as preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year in both polls. Cannon, a 5-10 junior guard, transferred to Nebraska from Penn Valley (Mo.) Community College where she was a two-time NJCAA All-America selection. She averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, six steals and three blocks per game last year as a sophomore. Penn Valley finished 25-1 last year and was ranked second nationally at the end of the regular season. The squad advanced to the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division 2 Tournament.
Robinette is a 6-2 forward from South Sioux City, Neb. (South Sioux City High School). She was a consensus high school All-America, a two-time Gatorade Circle of Champions Nebraska Player of the Year and a four-time first team All-Nebraska selection. As a high school senior, Robinette averaged 19 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. She is also South Sioux City High School's all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 1,944 points and 897 rebounds. Robinette led her 2001 squad to its third Class B state title in her four years and a No. 7 national ranking by USA Today.
The media panel picked the same five on the All-Big 12 Preseason Team as the coaches. Joining Dales are Iowa State's Angie Welle, Texas Tech's Plenette Pierson, and Baylor's Sheila Lambert and Danielle Crockrom.
Dales, Welle, Lambert, and Crockrom were 2000-01 All-Big 12 first team members while Pierson was on the second team. Lambert and Crockrom are the league's top two returning scorers from last season with 22.1 (first/Big 12) and 21.2 (third/Big 12) points, respectively. Crockrom led the conference in rebounding with 11.6 rpg. Lambert was third in assists (6.07 apg) and fourth in steals (3.00 spg). Welle finished fifth in the Big 12 in scoring last year (18.3 ppg), second in rebounding (10.0 rpg) and led the conference in field goal percentage (.655/second in nation). Crockrom and Welle were the only two players in conference overall statistics to average a double-double in points-rebounds a year ago. Pierson was 10th in the league in scoring last year (14.7 ppg), ninth in rebounding (7.4 rpg), and fifth in blocked shots (1.31 bpg).
All five members of the preseason All-Big 12 team were named to various All-America squads last season and preseason All-America teams this year, including the list of preseason Naismith candidates.
Big 12 teams open exhibition play on Thursday, Nov. 1, with the first regular season game scheduled for Nov. 9 when Colorado hosts Oral Roberts in the Preseason WNIT.
2001-02 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Media Preseason Poll
| 1. Oklahoma (17) | 212 |
| 2. Texas Tech | 186 |
| 3. Iowa State (1) | 178 |
| 4. Baylor | 157 |
| 5. Colorado | 147 |
| 6. Texas | 139 |
| 7. Kansas State | 89 |
| T8. Nebraska | 74 |
| T8. Oklahoma State | 74 |
| 10. Missouri | 72 |
| 11. Kansas | 53 |
| 12. Texas A&M | 23 |
2001-02 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Media Preseason Team
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
| Stacey Dales, Oklahoma | G | 6-0 | Sr | Brockville, Ontario, Canada/Thousand Islands Secondary School |
| Angie Welle, Iowa State | C | 6-4 | Sr | Fargo, N.D./Shanley |
| Sheila Lambert, Baylor | G | 5-7 | Sr | Seattle, Wash./Grayson (Texas) CC |
| Plenette Pierson, Texas Tech | F/C | 6-2 | Jr | Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood |
| Danielle Crockrom, Baylor | F | 6-2 | Sr | Houston, Texas/North Shore |
(Others Receiving Votes: Mandy Nightingale, Britt Hartshorn and Jenny Roulier, Colorado, Kristin Rethman, Kansas State, Kerensa Barr, Missouri, LaNeishea Caufield, Oklahoma, Tari Cummings, Oklahoma State, Stacy Stephens, Texas, Jia Perkins, Texas Tech)
Player of the Year:
| Stacey Dales, Oklahoma | G | 6-0 | Sr | Brockville, Ontario, Canada/Thousand Islands Secondary School |
Newcomer of the Year:
| Keasha Cannon, Nebraska | G | 5-10 | Jr | Kansas City, Kan./Penn Valley (Mo.) CC |
Freshman of the Year:
| Katie Robinette, Nebraska | F | 6-2 | Fr | South Sioux City, Neb./South Sioux City |