Cajun Women Basketballers Veal, Wilridge Named Preseason All Sun Belt

Louisiana Ragin' Cajun women's basketball team landed two players on the preseason All Sun Belt teams and were picked to finish 4th in preseason coaches' poll.

Senior guard Keke Veal earned first-team honors in the annual preseason coaches' poll. It marks the third consecutive season she lands on the preseason All-Conference team, but her first on the first-team. The Opelousas native has led UL in scoring two of the last three seasons, including last year at 14.9 points per contest.

"Keke is very talented and her potential has always been very high in terms of ability," head coach Garry Brodhead said in a University press release. "She needs to keep working hard and to improve and finish this senior season. It's great for her to earn recognition on the first team. She has an opportunity to finish off her career strong here at Louisiana and finish at the top of the conference. We have always believed in her ability to be one of the best players in the conference in terms of scoring and running our offense to get the rest of her teammates involved."

Senior guard Kia Wilridge earned second-team preseason All Sun Belt honors for the second straight year. The Crowley native is a defensive stalwart for coach Brodhead's squad, but also displayed her scoring ability last season, averaging 12.3 points a game.

"Kia is a kid with a high motor and defensively is the quarterback of our team," Brodhead noted in the release. "It's exciting for her to receive some well-deserved recognition. Her ability on the defensive end has always impressed the coaching staff. This honor will hopefully bring more confidence in herself in order for her to help us reach the top of the conference. We know she will work hard to get everyone involved on both ends of the floor to give us a chance to win a championship."

Louisiana was picked to finish fourth in the league, receiving one first place vote.

Arkansas State is a heavy favorite to win the Sun Belt according to the coaches, followed by UT-Arlington and UALR.

Arkansas State senior guard Aundrea Gamble was tabbed the preseason Sun Belt player of the year.