3 UConn Women Named to All-Conference Preseason Team

STORRS, CT — UConn women’s basketball senior guard/forward Katie Lou Samuelson was chosen as the American Athletic Conference preseason player of the year.

The opreseason teams were announced at the league’s media day on Monday.

Samuelson and fellow senior Napheesa Collier were unanimously selected to the preseason all-conference first team while junior Crystal Dangerfield was also named to the first team. UConn was chosen as the conference favorite with 121 points and 10 first place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll.

The Huskies are 86-0 in league play since joining the American in 2013. UConn has won the conference’s regular season and tournament titles in each of the last five seasons.

The American Conference player of the year for the last two seasons, Samuelson led UConn with 17.4 points per game last season. She led the nation with a 47.5 three-point field goal percentage. The Huntington Beach, CA, native was named a WBCA, AP and USBWA First Team All-American in 2018.

Collier tied for the team lead with 7.4 rebounds per game last season while ranking second on the team with 16.1 points per game. She also notched 122 assists, 63 blocks and 60 steals. The O’Fallon, MO, native was named a 2018 AP third team all-american. Collier was a finalist for the USA Basketball roster for the 2018 FIBA World Cup and spent September training with the U.S. National Team.

Dangerfield was named to the conference’s third team and all-tournament team in 2018. She tallied 142 assists last season, good for second on the team. The Murfreesboro, TN, native also notched 59 steals and 9.5 points per game.

UConn hosts Vanguard in an exhibition on Sunday, Nov. 4, at Gampel Pavilion before opening the 2018-19 season against Ohio State on Sunday, Nov. 11, at noon in Storrs.

Place, Points

1. UConn (10), 121
2. USF (1), 111
3. Houston, 95
4. UCF, 92
5. Cincinnati, 74
6. Temple, 72
7. SMU, 55
8. ECU, 46
9. Tulane, 42
10. Wichita State, 35
11. Memphism 25
12. Tulsa, 24

Preseason Player of the Year, Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn

Preseason All-Conference Team

First Team

• Napheesa Collier, UConn*
• Crystal Dangerfield, UConn
• Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn*
• Jasmyne Harris, Houston
• Kitija Laksa, USF*

Second Team

• Angela Harris, Houston
• Laura Ferreira, USF
• Alicia Froling, SMU
• Alliya Butts, Temple
• Mia Davis, Temple

*denotes unanimous selection

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities, click here.