Forward Ashiala Jackson (Merrillville, Ind.) has been voted the 2022 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Preseason Player of the Year alongside teammate JuToreyia Willis (Chattanooga, Tenn.), who earned the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year selection, announced Wednesday by the league office.
The preseason honors and predicted order of finish are voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Jackson earns the honor for the second straight season after being named Second Team All-South Region, SIAC Player of the Year and First Team All-SIAC Honors last season. The forward led Tuskegee and the league in scoring last season, averaging a double-double at 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She finished the year shooting 50 (207-for-414) percent from the field and 76.4 (113-for-148) percent from the free throw line to help clinch the SIAC Western Division title with 15-3 mark and end the year with an overall record of 22-5. Jackson also averaged 2.1 steals per contest and scored in double figures in all but one game this season along with recording 13 double doubles.
Willis, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after she was responsible for 72 steals and 23 blocked shots, along with averaginng6.5 rebounds last season. The 5'11 guard also averaged 14.9 points for the Golden Tigers with shooting splits of 41.7 (164-for-393) percent from the field and 70.3 (52-for-74) percent from the free throw line, while scoring in double figures in 23 games and accounting for four double-doubles.
The SIAC will host their Women's Basketball Media Day today, with Tuskegee taking part at 11:05 PM EST, as they preview the upcoming 2022-23 season in the conference.
Preseason Superlative Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Ashiala Jackson, Tuskegee
Defensive Player of the Year
JuToreyia Willis, Tuskegee
Women's Basketball Preseason Rankings by Division
East Division
- Benedict
- Savannah State
- Albany State
- Clark Atlanta
- Edward Waters
- Fort Valley State
- Allen
West Division
- Tuskegee
- Miles
- Lane
- Kentucky State
- LeMoyne-Owen
- Central State
- Spring Hill
| 022-23 SIAC Women's Basketball Preseason Team | ||||
| First Team | ||||
| Ashiala Jackson* | Tuskegee | R-Senior | Forward | Merrillville, Ind. |
| Bria Gibbs* | Savannah State | Senior | Center | Greensboro, NC |
| Corriana Evans* | Clark Atlanta | Junior | Guard/Forward | Griffin, Ga. |
| JuToreyia Willis* | Tuskegee | Graduate Student | Guard | Chattanooga, TN |
| Kayla Simmons* | Lane | Senior | Power Forward/Center | Brandon, MS |
| Second Team | ||||
| Ta'Quasia Lampkin | Savannah State | Sophomore | Forward | Beaufort, S.C. |
| Torri Myers | Fort Valley State | Senior | Forward | Buena Vista, Ga. |
| Tyashia Bostick | Spring Hill | R-Junior | Guard/Forward | Charleston, S.C. |
| Diamond (D.J.) Jones | Fort Valley State | Senior | Guard | Evergreen, AL |
| Laurie Thomas | Kentucky State | Senior | Guard | Athens, GA |
*Indicates returner for 2021-22 SIAC All-Conference Team
About the SIAC
The SIAC is an NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors eight men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.
Original source can be found here.
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