Seniors Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) and Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) were named to the preseason All-SEC team as selected by league coaches and announced by the conference office Thursday. The league coaches also picked Kentucky to finish sixth in the standings.
Elliott is Kentucky?s leading returning scorer from last season. The 6-6 center averaged 13.5 points per game, including 14.0 ppg in league play. She also led the team in blocks with 50 and was second in rebounds with 7.0 rpg. She needs just 18 more blocks to break the school record for blocks in a career held by Valerie Still with 156.
Mahoney was second on the team and 16th in the SEC in scoring last season, averaging 12.4 ppg. The 5-10 guard scored in double-figures in each of the team?s WNIT games, averaging a squad-best 14.0 ppg mark during postseason play. This marks the third consecutive year Mahoney has been named to the All-SEC preseason squad.
Points were compiled on a 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for order of prediction, while each player received two points for a first-team vote and one point for a second-team vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or players. This is the fourth-annual preseason All-SEC team for women?s basketball. The Wildcats have placed a member on a preseason all-SEC team in each of the four years.