Both University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball teams were picked to win the Southern Conference when the preseason polls were released Thursday.
The UTC programs also racked up a number of preseason honors. Senior Casey Jones was the men’s pick for preseason player of the year, while junior forward Jasmine Joyner was selected on the women’s side.
Guards Chelsey Shumpert and Alicia Payne were selected to the coaches’ 10-player women’s all-conference team, while Justin Tuoyo joined Jones on the men’s preseason team. Payne and Tuoyo are the reigning SoCon defensive players of the year.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players.
Jones, a two-time all-conference selection in his career, averaged 14.2 points and seven rebounds per game in 2014-15. The 6-foot-5 forward begins this season 47 points shy of becoming the 21st player in UTC Division I history to top the 1,000-point mark, while already ranking 14th in rebounds with 495.