Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Lady Raiders preseason favorites to win C-USA
11/4/2020 10:45:00 AM | Women's Basketball, BRAA
Anastasia Hayes Preseason Player of Year; Aislynn Hayes on preseason team
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Anastasia and Aislynn Hayes made quite an impact on Conference USA in their first season on the Middle Tennessee women's basketball team in 2019-20.
They left a lasting impression on league coaches.
Anastasia Hayes has been named C-USA Preseason Co-Player of the Year and Aislynn Hayes has been voted to the C-USA Preseason team in a vote of league coaches, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Middle Tennessee landed two of the eight players on preseason team.
Additionally, league coaches pegged Middle Tennessee as the preseason favorite to win the conference championship with eight of a possible 14 first-place votes.
"I am really pleased for Anastasia and Aislynn," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They are very deserving of these honors and great representatives for our team and university. It's not easy to make the preseason team because there are only eight spots and we have 14 teams. It's not something you take for granted.
"Most of the preseason teams are based on what you did the previous year and those two did a lot in their first season with us. We are expecting more of the same in 2020-21."
Being selected as the preseason favorite is nothing new with Insell at the helm. This marks the 12th time in 16 seasons that Middle Tennessee has been picked to win the regular season under Insell, including six of eight years in C-USA.
"We wanted to have a program with lofty expectations every year when we came to Middle Tennessee and that has been the case," Insell said. "I'm proud of our young ladies who have worked hard to keep Lady Raider basketball in the conversation of the best teams year-in, year-out."
Rice was picked second and Old Dominion was tabbed third behind Middle Tennessee. Each of those schools received three of the remaining six first-place votes.
As to his thoughts on Middle Tennessee being on overwhelming choice as preseason favorite?
"I would rather be picked first than last," Insell said. "We expect to be in the hunt every year. Conference USA is a very tough league with some outstanding coaches and players. It's never easy when you get into league play and it won't be this season."
Anastasia Hayes was the C-USA Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection in 2019-20 when she scored double figures in 28 of 29 games, including 10 games of 20-plus points. She averaged 18.7 points per game, which was second in the league standings. She was also among national leaders for scoring, assists, field goals made, free throw attempts, free throws made, and minutes played.
She became only the second player in program history, and first guard, with a triple-double when she recorded the feat at Marshall. She was one assists shy of another triple-double vs. WKU and one rebound shy of one at UTEP.
Aislynn Hayes enjoyed a dynamic breakout campaign and debuted as one of the nation's top freshman. Aislynn became the second player in program history to be named freshman All-American, joining standout Ebony Rowe. She was C-USA Freshman of the Year and was a seven-time C-USA Freshman of the Week, which is the second most such honors in league history. Aislynn Hayes also was named a three-time national freshman of the week by the United States Basketball Writers Association, the most citations ever for a single player by the association.
Aislynn was C-USA's highest-scoring freshman with 14.1 points per game and scored in every game of the season. She was also among league leaders for 3-point field goals made, assists, assist-turnover ratio and minutes.
2020-21 C-USA Preseason Poll
1. Middle Tennessee (8)
2. Rice (3)
3. Old Dominion (3)
4. Charlotte
5. WKU
6. UTEP
7. UAB
8. North Texas
9. Louisiana Tech
10. Florida Atlantic
11. Southern Miss
12. Marshall
13. UTSA
14. FIU
- first-place votes in parentheses
2020-21 C-USA Preseason Team
*Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
Aislynn Hayes, Middle Tennessee
Mariah Linney, Charlotte
Amber Dixon, Louisiana Tech
Savannah Wheeler, Marshall
*Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Amari Young, Old Dominion
Ajah Wayne, Old Dominion
Katia Gallegos, UTEP
* - Co-Preseason Players of the Year
They left a lasting impression on league coaches.
Anastasia Hayes has been named C-USA Preseason Co-Player of the Year and Aislynn Hayes has been voted to the C-USA Preseason team in a vote of league coaches, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Middle Tennessee landed two of the eight players on preseason team.
Additionally, league coaches pegged Middle Tennessee as the preseason favorite to win the conference championship with eight of a possible 14 first-place votes.
"I am really pleased for Anastasia and Aislynn," Lady Raider Head Coach Rick Insell said. "They are very deserving of these honors and great representatives for our team and university. It's not easy to make the preseason team because there are only eight spots and we have 14 teams. It's not something you take for granted.
"Most of the preseason teams are based on what you did the previous year and those two did a lot in their first season with us. We are expecting more of the same in 2020-21."
Being selected as the preseason favorite is nothing new with Insell at the helm. This marks the 12th time in 16 seasons that Middle Tennessee has been picked to win the regular season under Insell, including six of eight years in C-USA.
"We wanted to have a program with lofty expectations every year when we came to Middle Tennessee and that has been the case," Insell said. "I'm proud of our young ladies who have worked hard to keep Lady Raider basketball in the conversation of the best teams year-in, year-out."
Rice was picked second and Old Dominion was tabbed third behind Middle Tennessee. Each of those schools received three of the remaining six first-place votes.
As to his thoughts on Middle Tennessee being on overwhelming choice as preseason favorite?
"I would rather be picked first than last," Insell said. "We expect to be in the hunt every year. Conference USA is a very tough league with some outstanding coaches and players. It's never easy when you get into league play and it won't be this season."
Anastasia Hayes was the C-USA Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection in 2019-20 when she scored double figures in 28 of 29 games, including 10 games of 20-plus points. She averaged 18.7 points per game, which was second in the league standings. She was also among national leaders for scoring, assists, field goals made, free throw attempts, free throws made, and minutes played.
She became only the second player in program history, and first guard, with a triple-double when she recorded the feat at Marshall. She was one assists shy of another triple-double vs. WKU and one rebound shy of one at UTEP.
Aislynn Hayes enjoyed a dynamic breakout campaign and debuted as one of the nation's top freshman. Aislynn became the second player in program history to be named freshman All-American, joining standout Ebony Rowe. She was C-USA Freshman of the Year and was a seven-time C-USA Freshman of the Week, which is the second most such honors in league history. Aislynn Hayes also was named a three-time national freshman of the week by the United States Basketball Writers Association, the most citations ever for a single player by the association.
Aislynn was C-USA's highest-scoring freshman with 14.1 points per game and scored in every game of the season. She was also among league leaders for 3-point field goals made, assists, assist-turnover ratio and minutes.
2020-21 C-USA Preseason Poll
1. Middle Tennessee (8)
2. Rice (3)
3. Old Dominion (3)
4. Charlotte
5. WKU
6. UTEP
7. UAB
8. North Texas
9. Louisiana Tech
10. Florida Atlantic
11. Southern Miss
12. Marshall
13. UTSA
14. FIU
- first-place votes in parentheses
2020-21 C-USA Preseason Team
*Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
Aislynn Hayes, Middle Tennessee
Mariah Linney, Charlotte
Amber Dixon, Louisiana Tech
Savannah Wheeler, Marshall
*Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Amari Young, Old Dominion
Ajah Wayne, Old Dominion
Katia Gallegos, UTEP
* - Co-Preseason Players of the Year
Players Mentioned
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