Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Picked First; Titus Named Preseason POTY
11/11/2020 2:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mercer was selected as the preseason favorite in the coaches poll, while Shannon Titus was named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer women's basketball team was selected as the favorites in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and senior Shannon Titus was named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday afternoon.
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The Bears enter the 2020-21 campaign having won four-of-the-last-five regular season titles and two-of-the-last-three tournament championships in the conference. Mercer collected five first place votes in the coaches poll while adding two more in the media poll where the team was picked to finish third behind Chattanooga and Samford.
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"I think the first-place votes were divided, which makes sense with how much parity we have in the SoCon," said Gardner. "We're excited to garner the respect of our coaching peers to be voted the preseason favorites after how difficult last season was for us. It's not very often that you see a team who won eight games the year before selected to win the conference, but it's always nice to see Mercer at the top of the poll. I'm hopeful that our returners from last season have continued to develop their skills over the summer and that our five newcomers will be able to step in and make an impact."
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Individually, Titus and junior Jaron Dougherty landed on the Preseason All-SoCon Team with Titus earning Preseason Player of the Year honors.
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Titus becomes the third Mercer player to be selected as the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, along with Kahlia Lawrence (2017-18) and KeKe Calloway (2018-19). The reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year played at a high level on both ends of the court in 2019-20, leading the conference in steals (83) and blocks (60) while ranking sixth in points per game (14.4). Titus was the only player in Division I to record at least 75 steals and 50 blocks a season ago and became the first player in program history to accomplish the feat.
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Dougherty is the leading returning scorer after averaging 15.8 points per game for the third-best output in the conference last year. The Buford, Ga., native was recognized on the All-SoCon First Team a season ago after averaging 7.3 rebounds per game and recording a team-high eight double-doubles.
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"It is very helpful to have a go-to weapon on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, and that's what we have with Jaron and Shannon," added Gardner. "Jaron is the leading scorer among returning players for the conference after she broke out offensively last season, and Shannon is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after leading the SoCon in blocks and steals. We are very proud of Shannon for being named the Preseason Player of the Year. She was able to experience a lot of success as a freshman and sophomore, and we hope she can use that experience to lead this team in her final season."
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2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
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2020-21 Preseason Player of the Year
Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer
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2020-21 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
E'Lease Stafford, Jr., G/F, ETSU
Tierra Hodges, R-Sr., G/F, Furman
Jaron Dougherty, Jr., F, Mercer
Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer
Aja Boyd, R-Sr., F/G, UNCG
Natalie Armstrong, Sr., F, Samford
Bria Dial, Sr., G, Chattanooga
Eboni Williams, Jr., F, Chattanooga
Lauren LaPlant, R-Sr., G, Western Carolina
Jamari McDavid, Sr., F, Wofford
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2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
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Mercer will open its 2020-21 campaign with a pair of home games against Georgia (Nov. 25) and Tennessee State (Nov. 28).
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Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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The Bears enter the 2020-21 campaign having won four-of-the-last-five regular season titles and two-of-the-last-three tournament championships in the conference. Mercer collected five first place votes in the coaches poll while adding two more in the media poll where the team was picked to finish third behind Chattanooga and Samford.
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"I think the first-place votes were divided, which makes sense with how much parity we have in the SoCon," said Gardner. "We're excited to garner the respect of our coaching peers to be voted the preseason favorites after how difficult last season was for us. It's not very often that you see a team who won eight games the year before selected to win the conference, but it's always nice to see Mercer at the top of the poll. I'm hopeful that our returners from last season have continued to develop their skills over the summer and that our five newcomers will be able to step in and make an impact."
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Individually, Titus and junior Jaron Dougherty landed on the Preseason All-SoCon Team with Titus earning Preseason Player of the Year honors.
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Titus becomes the third Mercer player to be selected as the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, along with Kahlia Lawrence (2017-18) and KeKe Calloway (2018-19). The reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year played at a high level on both ends of the court in 2019-20, leading the conference in steals (83) and blocks (60) while ranking sixth in points per game (14.4). Titus was the only player in Division I to record at least 75 steals and 50 blocks a season ago and became the first player in program history to accomplish the feat.
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Dougherty is the leading returning scorer after averaging 15.8 points per game for the third-best output in the conference last year. The Buford, Ga., native was recognized on the All-SoCon First Team a season ago after averaging 7.3 rebounds per game and recording a team-high eight double-doubles.
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"It is very helpful to have a go-to weapon on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, and that's what we have with Jaron and Shannon," added Gardner. "Jaron is the leading scorer among returning players for the conference after she broke out offensively last season, and Shannon is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after leading the SoCon in blocks and steals. We are very proud of Shannon for being named the Preseason Player of the Year. She was able to experience a lot of success as a freshman and sophomore, and we hope she can use that experience to lead this team in her final season."
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2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
| Team (1st-place votes) | Total |
| 1. Mercer (5) | 45 |
| 2. Chattanooga (1) | 39 |
| 3. Samford | 33 |
| 4. Furman (1) | 31 |
| 5. UNCG (1) | 30 |
| 6. Wofford | 24 |
| 7. ETSU | 15 |
| 8. Western Carolina | 7 |
2020-21 Preseason Player of the Year
Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer
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2020-21 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
E'Lease Stafford, Jr., G/F, ETSU
Tierra Hodges, R-Sr., G/F, Furman
Jaron Dougherty, Jr., F, Mercer
Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer
Aja Boyd, R-Sr., F/G, UNCG
Natalie Armstrong, Sr., F, Samford
Bria Dial, Sr., G, Chattanooga
Eboni Williams, Jr., F, Chattanooga
Lauren LaPlant, R-Sr., G, Western Carolina
Jamari McDavid, Sr., F, Wofford
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2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
| Team (1st-place votes) | Total |
| 1. Chattanooga (8) | 115 |
| 2. Samford (4) | 111 |
| 3. Mercer (2) | 100 |
| 4. Furman (3) | 89 |
| Â Â UNCG (1) | 89 |
| 6. Wofford | 68 |
| 7. ETSU | 52 |
| 8. Western Carolina | 24 |
Mercer will open its 2020-21 campaign with a pair of home games against Georgia (Nov. 25) and Tennessee State (Nov. 28).
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Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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