Cameron women fourth, Aggie men sixth in LSC preseason basketball polls

     RICHARDSON, Texas (Oct. 14) -- Cameron's men's and women's basketball teams will each be expected to compete for a spot in the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament this season, according to results of this year's LSC preseason polls, which were released by conference officials on Tuesday. Coach Dick Halterman's Lady Aggies are picked fourth in the LSC's North Division, while Garrette Mantle's men's squad picked up three fourth-place votes while finishing sixth.
     The top four teams from each conference division (North and South) will advance to the eight-team conference tournament at season's end.
     On the women's side, Cameron was the only team to earn votes in each of the seven positions in the poll. The Lady Aggies were listed first on two ballots, finishing with a total of 80 points in the poll, which was conducted among the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media representatives. Defending LSC North champion Northeastern State is expected to repeat as divisional winners. The Lady Reds collected 12 of 21 first-place votes to edge Central Oklahoma for the top spot in the preseason poll. East Central, which did not receive any first-place votes, was third.
     The Lady Aggies managed an 11-15 record in their first season under Halterman last season, despite playing the entire year with just seven players. Cameron finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the LSC North, losing a tiebreaker to just miss a playoff appearance. Cameron returns four of five starters from last year's squad, including first team All-LSC North selection Kimberle Woods. Brittany Cooksey, the LSC North Freshman of the Year in 2002, also returns to the team this season after taking a year away from basketball. Halterman will also have a slew of newcomers to add experience and depth.
     Tarleton State and Northeastern State remain the favorites in the LSC North men's race. Tarleton State collected 11 first-place votes to edge Northeastern State for the top spot in the preseason poll by just three points. The Texans were ranked No. 1 in the nation for a portion of the 2002-03 season, but it was the Redmen who finished on top, becoming the first Lone Star Conference school to win a men's basketball national championship last year. Central Oklahoma, which received one first place vote, was third in the poll, followed by East Central, Southwestern Oklahoma and Cameron. Southeastern Oklahoma was picked seventh.
     Cameron's men finished last season with a record of 9-17 while competing in arguably the toughest conference division in the nation. Three players who started at least 50 percent of the Aggies' contests last season return to this year's squad, led by junior Marcus Girtmon, who earned All-LSC North honorable mention for the second consecutive season in 2003. Three other players with starting experience from last season also return for the Aggies, as do two players - Ramiro Loera and Chris Cooksey - who took last season off after starting several games during the 2001-02 campaign. Mantle has also added a strong recruiting class consisting of several transfers and a collection of small-school All-Staters from across Oklahoma.
     Wednesday marks the first day teams are allowed to practice under NCAA regulations. Both teams are scheduled to open the 2003-04 regular season on Nov. 21.

Lone Star Conference North Division
2003-04 Preseason Basketball Polls

Women
1. Northeastern State (12)
2. Central Oklahoma (7)
3. East Central
4. Cameron (2)
5. Southwestern Oklahoma
6. Southeastern Oklahoma
7. Tarleton State

Men
1. Tarleton State (11)
2. Northeastern State (10)
3. Central Oklahoma (1)
4. East Central
5. Southwestern Oklahoma
6. Cameron
7. Southeastern Oklahoma

(first-place votes in parentheses)