CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Lady Bucs women’s basketball team was recognized in the annual Big South Preseason Coaches’ poll on Tuesday afternoon as head coach Fred Applin’s squad was picked to finish sixth overall in the 2012-2013 rankings.
Liberty was selected first overall in the preseason poll, with the Lady Flames receiving 16 of the 22 first place votes, while Winthrop University junior guard Dequesha McClanahan was voted the Big South Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year.
"I think it’s a tough league with a lot of good coaches and talented players in the league," said Applin on the preseason poll. "Picked sixth is something that is difficult because the competition is really good, but our team can learn and grow from it. Where we are picked does not define this team; we want to be better and our seniors will help us build upon that."
Charleston Southern is coming off of an 18-15 season, going 9-9 in the Big South Conference and earning the program’s second berth into the postseason as the Lady Buccaneers were selected to the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
"We still have some more work to do to get ready for the season," said Applin on the team’s practices building up to the 2012-2013 tipoff. "Our seniors will be a key for us as they want to play for the championship game and will go hard every day in practice and have the right frame of mind because they want to win in their senior year."
Charleston Southern faces a tough slate in the year ahead with road games against ACC opponents Wake Forest and N.C. State, as well as a tough Big South schedule, but 15 of the Lady Bucs scheduled games come inside the friendly confines of the Buc Done, where CSU went 11-3 last season.
"Playing and winning on the road is always one of the hardest things," commented Applin. "Crowd support is a key to that and we look forward to playing in front of our fans this year as the students, staff and community show their CSU spirit inside the Buc Dome every game."
CSU begins their 2012-2013 schedule on the road as the Lady Bucs take part in the annual Big South/SoCon Challenge on November 10, as CSU takes on UNC Greensboro at Justice Center on the campus of UNC Asheville, with tipoff at 2 p.m.
The Lady Bucs begin their home schedule the following week on November 14 with tipoff inside the Buc Done against Southern Wesleyan coming at 7 p.m.