Oct. 14, 2013
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the 2014 Southeastern Conference race in the media preseason polls as announced by the league office on Monday.
Senior forward DeNesha Stallworth (Richmond, Calif.) was named to the All-SEC preseason team along with Tennessee’s Bashaara Graves and Meighan Simmons, LSU’s Theresa Plaisance and Vanderbilt’s Jasmine Lister.
Head coach Matthew Mitchell, UK’s all-time winningest coach, enters his seventh season at the helm of UK Hoops after leading the Wildcats to a school-record 30 wins last season (30-6), a No. 7 final national ranking and the program’s school-record fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, including third Elite Eight appearance in the last four seasons.
Kentucky returns 10 letter winners, including four starters from last year’s squad in Kastine Evans (Salem, Conn.), Jennifer O’Neill (Bronx, N.Y.), Stallworth and Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio). New additions to the roster this season include freshmen Makayla Epps (Lebanon, Ky.), Kyvin Goodin-Rogers (Lebanon, Ky.) and Linnae Harper (Chicago).
Stallworth, who was a first-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches and a second-team member by the media last season, is UK’s leading returning scorer and second-leading rebounder for 2013-14. The 6-foot-3 forward averaged 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last year in helping lead the Wildcats to their third appearance in the Elite Eight in the last four years. She netted double figures in 27-of-35 games played, including 11-of-15 SEC contests and ranked in the top-20 in SEC scoring (16th, 12.5 ppg), rebounding (19th, 6.0 rpg), field goal percentage (4th, .484) and blocks (5th, 1.5 bpg). Stallworth is one of 25 players on the 2013-14 preseason “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the prestigious Wade Trophy.
The Wildcats open up the 2013-14 season with an exhibition against Eckerd College on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum. Admission is free.
Season tickets for UK’s entire 17-game home schedule are on sale now for $65. Lower-level chair back seating ($80) is sold out.
Group tickets for the Duke and Louisville games are also available. Purchase 10 or more for just $2 per ticket. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge in the general admission seating area.
All groups are welcome and will be given seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Nathan.Schwake@uky.edu to purchase group tickets for the Duke game.
Beginning Monday, Oct. 28, single-game tickets may be purchased online or by calling the UK Ticket Office at (800) 928-2287 or (859) 257-1818. Tickets may be available in the reserved seating areas and in the general admission upper-level bleachers. Prices are as follows: $9 reserved seats (all ages), $8 adult general admission, $5 youth/senior general admission (18 and under, 65 and over). Children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge in the general admission seating area.
Fans interested in season tickets can go to UKathletics.com or call the UK ticket office at 1-800-928-CATS.
SEC Preseason Polls
- Tennessee (192)
- Kentucky (185)
- LSU (156)
- Texas A&M (144)
- Vanderbilt (134)
- Georgia (132)
- South Carolina (131)
- Auburn (84)
- Missouri (74)
- Florida (67)
- Mississippi State (66)
- Arkansas (57)
- Ole Miss (29)
- Alabama (18)
Player of the Year
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
All-SEC First Team
DeNesha Stallworth, Kentucky
Theresa Plaisance, LSU
Bashaara Graves, Tennessee
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
Jasmine Lister, Vanderbilt
