Fresno State Athletics
WAC Preseason Men's And Women's Basketball Polls Announced
10/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 14, 2004
RENO, Nev.- The Western Athletic Conference announced its men's and women's basketball preseason polls and all-WAC teams on Thursday at the conference's annual media day in Reno.
The Fresno State men's basketball team was picked to finish eighth by the media and ninth by the coaches, while the women's basketball squad was voted sixth by the coaches. Fresno State did not have a player named to either the men's or women's preseason All-WAC squads.
In 2003-04, the men were picked second by the media and fourth by the coaches. The women were selected fifth last year by the league's coaches.
On the men's side, UTEP is the preseason favorite to win the WAC title in both polls. The coaches selected Rice second (75 points) and Louisiana Tech (59) third, followed by Nevada (53) and Hawai'i (51) to round out the top five. SMU (45) checked in sixth, ahead of Boise State (32), Tulsa (27), Fresno State (21) and San Jose State (10). The Bulldogs were picked eighth overall by the media, ranking ahead of Tulsa and San Jose State.
Louisiana Tech, the three-time defending regular season and tournament champions, received eight first place votes and 80 points to lead the women's preseason picks. Rice (72) was second, with Tulsa (61), SMU (55) and UTEP (47) holding down the top five spots. Fresno State (44) was tabbed sixth, finishing ahead of Boise State (35), Hawai'i (27), San Jose State (16) and Nevada (13).
Fresno State's men's squad finished 14-15 overall last season with a 10-8 mark in the WAC, good for sixth place in the conference. The Bulldogs return three letterwinners, led by senior center Mustafa Al-Sayyad (8.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg).
The women's team will be looking to turn things around also, as the Bulldogs finished 13-16 overall and 7-11 in the WAC last year. Fresno State returns eight letterwinners, including senior forward Aritta Lane (team-high 12.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and senior guard Veronica Mack (8.9 ppg, 63 assists).
Preseason Men's Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Votes |
| 1) | UTEP (5) | 77 |
| 2) | Rice (5) | 75 |
| 3) | Louisiana Tech | 59 |
| 4) | Nevada | 53 |
| 5) | Hawaii | 51 |
| 6) | SMU | 45 |
| 7) | Boise State | 32 |
| 8) | Tulsa | 27 |
| 9) | Fresno State | 21 |
| 10) | San Jose State | 10 |
Preseason All-WAC Teams (Coaches)
First Team
- Filiberto Rivera, UTEP
- Bryan Hopkins, SMU
- Michael Harris, Rice
- Julian Sensley, Hawaii
- Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech
Second Team
- Jason McKrieth, Rice
- Jermaine Blackburn, Boise State
- Jarius Glenn, Tulsa
- Omar Thomas, UTEP
- Nick Fazekas, Nevada
Preseason Men's Media Poll
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Votes |
| 1) | UTEP (13) | 186 |
| 2) | Rice (5) | 178 |
| 3) | Nevada (1) | 136 |
| 4) | Hawaii (1) | 130 |
| 5) | Louisiana Tech | 127 |
| 6) | Boise State | 111 |
| 7) | SMU | 75 |
| 8) | Fresno State | 71 |
| 9) | Tulsa | 65 |
| 10) | San Jose State | 21 |
Preseason All-WAC Teams (Media)
- Filiberto Rivera, UTEP
- Bryan Hopkins, SMU
- Michael Harris, Rice
- Nick Fazekas, Nevada
- Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech
Preseason Women's Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Votes |
| 1) | Louisiana Tech (8) | 80 |
| 2) | Rice (2) | 72 |
| 3) | Tulsa | 61 |
| 4) | SMU | 55 |
| 5) | UTEP | 47 |
| 6) | Fresno State | 44 |
| 7) | Boise State | 35 |
| 8) | Hawaii | 27 |
| 9) | San Jose State | 16 |
| 10) | Nevada | 13 |
Preseason Women's All-WAC Teams
First Team
- Jade Abele, Hawaii
- Lauren Neaves, Rice
- Jillian Robbins, Tulsa
- Erica Taylor, Louisiana Tech
- Michelle Woods, Rice
Second Team
- Lakiste Barkus, Louisiana Tech
- Tasha Crain, Louisiana Tech
- Sarah Davis, SMU
- Jamie Hawkins, Boise State
- Megan Moody, Tulsa
