Samuels, DePaul highlight Big East preseason award winners

While Seton Hall guard, Shadeen Samuels, will be a force to be reckoned with this season, the championship goes through DePaul

Seton Hall and head coach Tony Bozzella have a lot to be excited about entering the 2019-20 season. While the Pirates were selected to finish third in the conference by the coaches, senior forward, Shadeen Samuels was named Big East Preseason Player of the Year. Samuels averaged 18.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season. She also shot 54.5% from the field.

“I’m just proud,” Bozzella said Thursday at Big East Media Day.. “Here’s a young woman who averaged four points as a freshman, and seven-and-a-half points as a sophomore. And she has worked hard all the time. And so she, receiving this award, is an indication of how hard she’s worked.”

Joining Samuels as a preseason award winner was Marquette’s, Jordan King, who was named Big East Preaseason Freshman of the Year. The Rockton, Illinois native is a prolific scorer, as she finished her high school career with 2, 505 points. She will look to make an immediate impact on a Golden Eagle team that will replace their entire starting lineup from last season.

Seton Hall added one more to the Preseason All-Big East team, in junior guard Desiree Elmore, while Marquette also added junior guard, Selena Lott.

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DePaul and St. John’s, who were voted to finish first and second in the conference, respectively, each had two players named to the team. DePaul seniors Chante Stonewall and Kelly Campbell were named to the team and are two of the most experienced and accomplished players in the conference.

“Chante has worked very hard to make herself a better player every year,” Bruno said. “And that’s why she’s where she is now.”

For the Red Storm, who are projected to make a significant improvement this season, saw juniors guards, Tiana England and Qadashah Hoppie named to the team.

Butler, Creighton, Providence, Villanova, and Xavier each had one player named to the team, while Georgetown was the only school in the conference that is not represented.

Butler guard, Kristen Spolyar, is the team’s top returning scorer, and she is joined by reigning Big East Freshman of the Year, Mary Bakersville. Bakersville helped lead Providence to a turnaround season that saw the Friars’ win nine more games, while receiving a postseason berth to the WNIT.  Creighton senior, Jaylyn Agnew, Villanova senior, Mary Gedaka, and Xavier junior, A’riana Gray, round out the team.

DePaul was the unanimous selection as the top Big East preseason team, as voted on by the coaches. The Blue Demons recorded nine first-place votes, while St. John’s received one. The Red Storm finished second, while the Pirates of Seton Hall finished third. The Creighton Blue Jays finished fourth in the preseason rankings, while Providence and Villanova were tied for fifth. Butler (7th), Xavier (8th), Marquette (9th), and Georgetown (10th), rounded out the full preseason conference standings.

“It’s always going to be defense for us,” Georgetown coach James Howard said. “Defensive mentality. You can lose players and still win convincingly, and I think our young women are working hard every day. We’re going to be a gritty, defensive team.”

DePaul is the defending Big East Tournament champions, while Marquette won the regular season last year. DePaul received the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament last year, while Marquette was awarded an at-large bid.

Howard Megdal contributed reporting to this story.

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