Brad Posted October 12, 2022 Group: Admin Topic Count: 13,332 Content Count: 97,087 Reputation: 10,858 Days Won: 469 Joined: 05/19/2000 Share Posted October 12, 2022 USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Click here to follow USF Women’s Basketball on Twitter Click here to like USF Women’s Basketball on Facebook USF Picked First in AAC Preseason Poll; Elena Tsineke Tabbed Preseason POY & Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu Named First Team The Bulls earned the top spot in a preseason conference poll for the third time in program history IRVING, Texas (Oct. 12, 2022) – The University of South Florida women’s basketball team has been picked to finish atop the American Athletic Conference (AAC) this season in a poll of league coaches announced by the conference on Wednesday. It marks the third time in program history – and the third-straight year – that the Bulls have been selected first in a preseason conference poll. In addition, Elena Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) was tabbed The American Preseason Player of the Year and named First Team All-Conference, where she is joined by fellow First Team selection, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (Nkongsamba, Cameroon). Click here to see the complete conference release. The Bulls earned the top spot with 99 total points and nine of 11 first-place votes. Houston (89) was picked to finish second and SMU (73) third, while Tulsa (66), Tulane (56) and Memphis (56) rounded out the top five spots in the preseason poll. Temple (43), Central Florida (38) and Cincinnati (34) were slotted seventh through ninth, respectively, with Wichita State (32) and East Carolina (19) rounding out the bottom two teams. South Florida (9) and Houston (2) were the only two schools to earn first-place votes. Last season, South Florida posted a 24-9 overall record and a 12-3 mark in the American Athletic Conference, capping off the season with its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, and its seventh trip to the Big Dance in the last 10 years. Included in their 24 wins were victories over No. 9 Oregon, 71-62, and a thrilling 57-54 win over defending national champion and No. 7-ranked Stanford. Tsineke, the Bulls’ top returning scorer, continues to prove that she is one of the top guards in The American and one of the most dangerous shooting guards in the nation. Last season she was tabbed an American Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference selection after averaging 14.3 points per game, which was third in the conference, and shooting 38.7 percent (173-for-447) from the field and 83.7 percent (82-for-98) from the free-throw line, good for first in the league. Tsineke was also named to the AAC All-Tournament Team after averaging 17.0 points per game in the Bulls’ three contests. The 5-foot-8 senior became the 26th player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau, netting 18 points in the regular season finale against Houston on March 2, 2022, and finished the season with 1,076 points for her career, 19th on the school’s all-time scoring list. In addition, she scored in double figures in 27 games for the Green and Gold, including seven outings of 20-or-more points. Fankam Mendjiadeu, a 6-foot-4 redshirt senior, was a Second Team All-Conference selection last season and was one of the top centers in The American during her first season in the Green and Gold. A transfer from American Athletic Conference foe Memphis, Fankam Mendjiadeu was third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game, and second in rebounding, grabbing 7.1 boards per contest, and ranked ninth in The American in both categories. She shot 46.9 percent (135-for-28) from the field on the year and 66.4 percent (71-for-107) from the free-throw line while recording seven double-doubles. Fankam Mendjiadeu netted double-figure points in 17 games and double-digit rebounds eight times. She was also second on the roster in blocked shots (26). The Bulls open the 2022-23 campaign with four consecutive home games in 10 days, beginning with their season-opener against Morehead State on Monday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+). South Florida will also face Florida A&M on Friday, Nov. 11 (6 p.m., ESPN+), Jacksonville on Sunday, Nov. 13 (1 p.m. ESPN+) and Alabama on Wednesday, Nov. 16 (7 p.m., ESPN+) during the homestand. All home games and conference games not televised nationally will be televised on ESPN+. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here. For questions or to purchase season tickets, please visit USFBullsTix.com or call 1-800-GoBulls. Click here for South Florida’s complete season schedule. Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll Team (First-Place Votes) Points 1. South Florida (9) 99 2. Houston (2) 89 3. SMU 73 4. Tulsa 66 5. Tulane 56 Memphis 56 7. Temple 43 8. UCF 38 9. Cincinnati 34 10. Wichita State 32 11. East Carolina 19 First-place votes in parenthesis Preseason Players of the Year Elena Tsineke, Sr., G, South Florida Preseason All-Conference First Team Laila Blair, Jr., G, Houston* Elena Tsineke, Sr., G, South Florida Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Sr., F, South Florida Savannah Wilkinson, Sr., F, SMU* Temira Poindexter, So., F, Tulsa Preseason All-Conference Second Team Jillian Hayes, Jr, G, Cincinnati Jamirah Shutes, 5th, G, Memphis Dynah Jones, Gr., G, Tulane Maddie Bittle, Sr., G, Tulsa Maya Mayberry, Sr., G, Tulsa * Denotes unanimous selection 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CousinRicky Posted October 13, 2022 Group: TBP Subscriber III Topic Count: 583 Content Count: 22,723 Reputation: 5,862 Days Won: 109 Joined: 09/13/2007 Share Posted October 13, 2022 I know the UCF coach left but 8th? One can only hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBull Posted October 13, 2022 Group: TBP Subscriber III Topic Count: 207 Content Count: 3,467 Reputation: 1,435 Days Won: 19 Joined: 09/09/2007 Share Posted October 13, 2022 2 hours ago, CousinRicky said: I know the UCF coach left but 8th? They don't have Cousins R&S to back them up, so yeah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DELdaBull Posted October 13, 2022 Group: Member Topic Count: 86 Content Count: 17,061 Reputation: 1,429 Days Won: 19 Joined: 09/15/2005 Share Posted October 13, 2022 Best bang for the buck at USF Athletics 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.PeteSlim89 Posted October 15, 2022 Group: Member Topic Count: 2 Content Count: 227 Reputation: 140 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/29/2013 Share Posted October 15, 2022 On 10/13/2022 at 11:31 AM, DELdaBull said: Best bang for the buck at USF Athletics Agree! There has been more than a few years (usually when FB and MBB aren’t doing well) when WBB has kept me motivated to be a USF fan. Glad to see Oviedo State ranked so low. While their previous coach won games, I found their team to be obnoxious, arrogant, and unsportsmanlike (a common theme for UCF athletics and much of their fan base). Looking forward to sweeping them this year. Going to their house and beating them has a special satisfaction. They are rebuilding; we reload. Kudos to CJF for his continued winning program. CJF mentioned to me at an event a few months ago that this should be a really good team, and that he expects many games to be over by halftime. Music to my years… Go Bulls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.PeteSlim89 Posted October 15, 2022 Group: Member Topic Count: 2 Content Count: 227 Reputation: 140 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/29/2013 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Just now, St.PeteSlim89 said: Agree! There has been more than a few years (usually when FB and MBB aren’t doing well) when WBB has kept me motivated to be a USF fan. Glad to see Oviedo State ranked so low. While their previous coach won games, I found their team to be obnoxious, arrogant, and unsportsmanlike (a common theme for UCF athletics and much of their fan base). Looking forward to sweeping them this year. Going to their house and beating them has a special satisfaction. They are rebuilding; we reload. Kudos to CJF for his continued winning program. CJF mentioned to me at an event a few months ago that this should be a really good team, and that he expects many games to be over by halftime. Music to my years… Go Bulls Oops - meant to say “Music to my ears”… I was a Geography Major, not an English Major. Go Bulls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CousinRicky Posted October 15, 2022 Group: TBP Subscriber III Topic Count: 583 Content Count: 22,723 Reputation: 5,862 Days Won: 109 Joined: 09/13/2007 Share Posted October 15, 2022 11 hours ago, St.PeteSlim89 said: Agree! There has been more than a few years (usually when FB and MBB aren’t doing well) when WBB has kept me motivated to be a USF fan. Glad to see Oviedo State ranked so low. While their previous coach won games, I found their team to be obnoxious, arrogant, and unsportsmanlike (a common theme for UCF athletics and much of their fan base). Looking forward to sweeping them this year. Going to their house and beating them has a special satisfaction. They are rebuilding; we reload. Kudos to CJF for his continued winning program. CJF mentioned to me at an event a few months ago that this should be a really good team, and that he expects many games to be over by halftime. Music to my years… Go Bulls Which was very strange because Coach Abe wasn't that way at all according to our coach. They were her recruits I believe so something is off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple B Posted October 15, 2022 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,615 Content Count: 74,734 Reputation: 10,960 Days Won: 425 Joined: 11/25/2005 Share Posted October 15, 2022 10 minutes ago, CousinRicky said: Which was very strange because Coach Abe wasn't that way at all according to our coach. They were her recruits I believe so something is off. It's their culture ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted October 15, 2022 Group: Admin Topic Count: 13,332 Content Count: 97,087 Reputation: 10,858 Days Won: 469 Joined: 05/19/2000 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 2 hours ago, Triple B said: It's their culture ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullumni Posted October 15, 2022 Group: TBP Subscriber III Topic Count: 80 Content Count: 568 Reputation: 93 Days Won: 1 Joined: 09/04/2000 Share Posted October 15, 2022 With the state of all current USF athletic teams WBB is the bright spot for the year so far. I don't think there have to be any illusions about this team. They will make a lot of national noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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