Oct. 21, 2009

Charlotte, NC -

Preseason All-Atlantic 10 release

The defending Atlantic 10 Champion Charlotte 49ers women's basketball team was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll which was voted on by the league's 14 head coaches. Senior guard Aysha Jones, a 2009 second-team All-Atlantic 10 selection, was voted first-team preseason All-Atlantic 10. While, junior guard Shannon McCallum, who was 2009 A-10 Sixth Player of the Year, was voted second-team preseason All-Atlantic 10.

The 2009 A-10 regular-season champion Xavier was picked to finish first in the preseason A-10 poll. Then, Charlotte was picked second followed by Dayton and Richmond who were picked to finish tied for third. Temple, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and George Washington round out the top eight teams in the preseason coaches poll.

"First of all, congrats to Xavier," Charlotte coach Karen Aston said. "They were the obvious choice for first, and the preseason rankings they are receiving are well-deserved. We are all chasing them at this point. Secondly, I was caught off guard by our team being picked second, not because I think we aren't capable, but simply because of who other teams in our league have returning from last year. We are inexperienced in some critical positions, and it will take time for the new players to adjust. With that being said, I am very proud of where this program is, and the fact they we have garnered some respect. It is a credit to our players and coaches. I want to say that our league has established itself as a significant player in women's basketball, and I hope that it continues to move forward as a whole, and I hope that Charlotte does their part in helping in that progress."

The 49ers return three starters and nine letterwinners off last season's A-10 Championship team, which marked the first conference tournament title in the program's history. Charlotte also won 23 games and reached postseason play for the seventh consecutive season with the school's second NCAA Tournament appearance. Joining those nine letterwinners are a junior transfer from Providence College and a five-player recruiting class on the 49ers roster in 2009-10.

Jones led the 49ers in scoring last season with a career-high 13.8 points per game. She enters the season needing only 198 points to become the 17th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. She recorded her first career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, she recorded 24 double-figure scoring games. She finished the season third in the A-10 in free throw percentage at 84.2%.

McCallum earned honorable-mention All-Atlantic 10 honors last season after finishing second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game and rebounding at 5.8 boards per game. She was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team after scoring a game-high 22 points against Richmond in the A-10 Championship game. She tallied 15 double-figure scoring games off the bench in 2008-09.

"I am proud of Aysha and Shannon for being honored in the preseason," Aston said. "Again, I believe this is a terrific reflection on our entire program."

Jones, McCallum and the rest of the 49ers women's basketball team tips-off the 2009-10 season at East Carolina, Friday, November 13.