FGCU unanimous pick to win A-Sun conference

Author: Jamie Church, FGCU
Published: Updated:

The FGCU women’s basketball team once again earned the title of preseason favorite in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Poll as voted on by the league’s eight head coaches and the media and announced by the A-Sun Thursday afternoon. The Eagles picked up the top billing in the coaches’ poll for the third-straight season and the sixth time in seven years and took the top position in the Media Poll for the seventh-straight season.

In addition to the team’s predicted success, reigning A-Sun Player of the Year Whitney Knight was named the Preseason Player of the Year, while Kaneisha Atwater earned the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year nod. Knight and Atwater also join classmate Stephanie Haas on the Preseason All-Conference Team.

With 64 points and all eight first-place votes, the Eagles’ first-ever unanimous first-place billing stands 12 points ahead of in-state rival Stetson University. The Hatters picked up one first-place vote in the Media Poll, while FGCU earned 22 of the poll’s 23 top votes. Jacksonville University earned the third-place ranking in both polls, with Kennesaw State and USC Upstate completed the top five. Lipscomb took the sixth-place position in the polls, while the league’s newest member NJIT and North Florida rounded on the eight-team league as the media poll was an exact replica of the coaches’ poll.

“We definitely have high expectations this year,” said head coach Karl Smesko. “Our conference keeps getting better every year and we are going to have to play really well to meet our expectations. We need the proper mindset to improve every day.

“It is great to see Knight, Atwater and Haas recognized,” Smesko added. “I think we also have players like [DyTiesha] Dunson, [Taylor] Gradinjan and others who are also more than capable of playing at an All-Conference level. Ultimately, our success will be determined by how well we play together.”

The 2014-15 defending Atlantic Sun Champions earned a perfect 14 wins in conference play last year and have won 66 of their last 67 Atlantic Sun regular season contests. With that success, the Eagles finished with their fifth-straight regular season title and earned their third tournament championship title in four seasons. With the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles earned a program-high no. 7 seed and picked up their first NCAA Division I Tournament win over Oklahoma State before falling to No. 2 Florida State. The team ultimately finished the year with a record of 31-3 that included a 26-game winning streak and earned the program’s first-ever Division I national ranking, checking in as high as the No. 20 team and finishing ranked No. 21.

Led by the six-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year, FGCU secured its 11th-straight 21+ win season and participated in its eighth Division I postseason tournament in as many years.

For the fourth-straight year, an Eagle earned the Preseason Player of the Year nod. As a three-time all-conference award winner and last year’s Player of the Year, Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School) was selected for the honor to start her final season with the Green and Blue.

“Whitney has improved every year and she has enhanced her game again this offseason,” said Smesko of the team’s top returner. “She should have a tremendous season.”

Knight enters the season as the Eagles’ top returning scorer, rebounder and shot blocker. As a junior, the 6’3 guard averaged 15.0 points per game with a shooting percentage of 43.7 and a league-leading 91 3-pointers made. She swatted 87 shots last season and picked up a team-high 66 steals. Knight stood as the nation’s only player to lead a league in 3-pointers made and blocked shots.

With 34 starts, Knight produced double-figure points on 28 occasions with six games of at least 20 points. She shot 40 percent or higher in 23 games and made at least one shot from the perimeter in 33 of the team’s 34 contests. In conference play, Knight averaged 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds with a shooting percentage of over .450 to earn a spot on the All-Conference First Team and the Player of the Year accolade.

Knight recorded six double-doubles last season, including 19 points and 10 rebounds in the program’s first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament win over Oklahoma State and became the fourth player in program history with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.

In her second year with the Eagles, Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) averaged 14.4 points per game with 31 starts in 33 appearances. In addition to her offensive contributions, Atwater was staple on the defensive end and recorded 58 steals on the season. Atwater’s athleticism, speed and tenacious defense helped the Eagles stifle the opposition and hold foes to just 53.3 points per game.

“Kaneisha is a great player on both ends of the floor,” noted Smesko. “We are happy to see her honored and it’s great for her defense to be recognized.”

Atwater shot over 45 percent from the field and scored 10 points or more on 22 occasions last season with six 20-point performances during the year. Atwater’s stellar year also included two 30-point games, with 33 points in a win over Providence when the 5-7 guard set FGCU’s Division I single-game scoring record. She followed with 32 points against Kennesaw State and 29 points in the regular-season finale against Jacksonville to hold two of the league’s top-three scoring performances of the year. Atwater finished the regular season with 10 or more points in seven of the last eight games and played 30 or more minutes in four of the last four, including both NCAA Tournament contests.

Atwater also earned the Fan Voted Defensive Player of the Year award with 216 ‘Likes’ on the A-Sun Facebook page.

Haas (Avon Lake, Ohio/Magnificat High School) was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team for the second-consecutive season and returns to the hardwood as the reigning Atlantic Sun Scholar Athlete of the Year.

“Steph is crafty,” Smesko added. “She stays active and finds ways to score and help our team.”

Haas started 18 contests and appeared in all 34 games as she produced just under 10 points per game last season with a shooting percentage of 44.5. The success rate from the floor ranked among the league’s top-10 with her scoring production in the top-20.

As a junior, Haas made 25 shots from beyond-the-arc and drove to the hoop for 85 of her signature scoop shots. The guard finished the season with double-figure points in 15 games, including five of the team’s first six games of the year.

In addition to Knight, Atwater and Haas, the Eagles return a strong group of experienced upperclassmen with nine seniors on the roster. Key contributors from last season include DyTiesha Dunson (Albany, Ga./Westover High School) and Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School), while the team will also see three newcomers on the court this season in transfers Kady Schrann (York, Pa./York Catholic High School/Vanderbilt), Sierra Harley (Colubus, Ohio/Columbus Africentric High School/Owens CC) and Sydnei McCaskill (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips High School/Georgia).

The 2015-16 season will begin Friday, Nov. 13 in Greensboro, N.C. as the Eagles take on North Carolina A&T. The team will return to Fort Myers for the home opener against FAU Tuesday, Nov. 17 with a 7 p.m. tipoff at Alico Arena. The A-Sun slate begins Saturday, Jan. 9 with a 4 p.m. tipoff against Stetson at Alico Arena.

2015-16 Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Preseason Honors and Awards
Preseason Player of the Year: Whitney Knight, FGCU*
Fan-Voted Preseason Player of the Year: Leah Horton, NJIT
Defensive Player of the Year: Kaneisha Atwater, FGCU
Fan-Voted Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kaneisha Atwater, FGCU

Preseason Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team
Pos. Name School Cl. Hometown
*G Whitney Knight FGCU Sr. Winston-Salem, N.C.
*G Kaneisha Atwater FGCU Sr. Fort Pierce, Fla.
*G Sherranda Reddick Jacksonville Jr. Jacksonville, Fla.
*F Jasmine McAllister Kennesaw State Sr. Memphis, Tenn.
*F Ashley Southern Lipscomb Sr. Tuscumbia, Ala.
*C Brittany Starling USC Upstate Sr. Sumter, S.C.
*G Brianti Saunders Stetson Jr. Hilliard, Fla.
G Stephanie Haas FGCU Sr. Avon Lakes, Ohio
G Briona Brown Jacksonville Sr. Haines City, Fla.
F Kayla Gordon Jacksonville So. Meridian, Miss.

* – Denotes unanimous selection to preseason team

Preseason Coaches Poll Preseason Media Poll
Pl. Team (1st Place Votes) Points Pl. Team (1st Place Votes)
1. FGCU (8) 64 1. FGCU (22) 183
2. Stetson 52 2. Stetson (1) 153
3. Jacksonville 46 3. Jacksonville 125
4. Kennesaw State 44 4. Kennesaw State 108
5. USC Upstate 33 5. USC Upstate 88
6. Lipscomb 20 6. Lipscomb 70
7. NJIT 16 7. NJIT 56
8. North Florida 13 8. North Florida 45

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