Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
WBB | Simons Named Preseason All-WCC, Gaels Picked Fifth
10/27/2020 9:17:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SAN BRUNO, Calif. — The West Coast Conference announced their women's basketball preseason coaches poll results this morning and Gaels' junior guard Sam Simons was one of 11 members selected to the All-WCC Preseason Team. In the team standings poll, Saint Mary's was predicted to finish fifth with 44 total points.
The honor for Simons comes with little surprise as the Aussie led the team in scoring last year with 16.3 points per game, third in the WCC, and shot just under 40 percent from deep, also third in the conference. It's the second straight season Simons was named to the Preseason Team and she's fresh off of an All-WCC First Team nod from the spring. Due to COVID-19, Simons has opted out of the 2020-21 season and will remain in her home country until next fall.
The Gaels were picked to finish fifth after a seventh place result last season. Gonzaga earned the top spot with 79 points and seven first place votes followed by BYU (73), Portland (64), and San Diego (53).
Prior to last season, the Gaels had double-digit wins in conference play in each of the past 10 years.
The full results from the coaches' poll can be seen below. The release from the WCC can be viewed here.
2020-21 WCC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll
2020-21 All-WCC Preseason Women's Basketball Team
The honor for Simons comes with little surprise as the Aussie led the team in scoring last year with 16.3 points per game, third in the WCC, and shot just under 40 percent from deep, also third in the conference. It's the second straight season Simons was named to the Preseason Team and she's fresh off of an All-WCC First Team nod from the spring. Due to COVID-19, Simons has opted out of the 2020-21 season and will remain in her home country until next fall.
The Gaels were picked to finish fifth after a seventh place result last season. Gonzaga earned the top spot with 79 points and seven first place votes followed by BYU (73), Portland (64), and San Diego (53).
Prior to last season, the Gaels had double-digit wins in conference play in each of the past 10 years.
The full results from the coaches' poll can be seen below. The release from the WCC can be viewed here.
2020-21 WCC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll
| Team (First Place Vote) | Pts. | |
| 1. Gonzaga | (7) | 79 |
| 2. BYU | (2) | 73 |
| 3. Portland | (1) | 64 |
| 4. San Diego | 53 | |
| 5. Saint Mary's | 44 | |
| 6. Pacific | 42 | |
| 7. Pepperdine | 28 | |
| 8. LMU | 25 | |
| 9. Santa Clara | 22 | |
| 10. San Francisco | 20 |
2020-21 All-WCC Preseason Women's Basketball Team
| Name | Year | Pos. | Institution |
| Haylee Andrews | Jr. | G | Portland |
| Alex Fowler | So. | F | Portland |
| Shaylee Gonzalez | So. | G | BYU |
| Sara Hamson | Sr. | C | BYU |
| Valerie Higgins | Sr. | G | Pacific |
| Paisley Johnson Harding | Sr. | G | BYU |
| Brooklyn McDavid | Sr. | F | Pacific |
| Myah Pace | Sr. | G | San Diego |
| Sam Simons | Jr. | G | Saint Mary's |
| Jill Townsend | Sr. | G | Gonzaga |
| Jenn Wirth | Sr. | F | Gonzaga |
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Players Mentioned
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