Senior forward DeWanna Bonner was a near-unanimous choice as the preseason SEC Player of the Year.
Auburn’s women’s basketball team was picked to finish third in the Southeastern Conference and Tiger forward DeWanna Bonner was chosen as the preseason SEC Player of the Year on Tuesday.
The voting was done by selected SEC and national media members.
Vanderbilt was picked as the preseason SEC favorite, followed by defending national champion Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas, South Carolina and Alabama.
Auburn coach Nell Fortner welcomed the high expectations.“I think that the rankings are a fair assessment,” Fortner said. “Any time you are picked to finish in the top four in this league is great. This is such a tough league and it’s a huge privilege to be picked in that category.”
Auburn returns eight letterwinners, Including four starters.
“We look really good on paper, but we’ve got to get out on the floor and prove it,” Fortner said. “That is what we are working hard to do right now. I like what we have and how our practices are going, but we just have to continue going down that road.”
Bonner, who averaged 18.4 points and 10 rebounds per game last season, was a near-unanimous selection, getting 24 of 25 votes. Vanderbilt’s Christina Wirth picked up the only vote that didn’t go to Bonner.
“I don’t think there is any question about DeWanna Bonner being chosen as SEC Player of the Year and first-team All-SEC,” Fortner said. “I think that is a great pick. We are all expecting DeWanna to have a great senior year. She has been a tremendous player her whole career here at Auburn, and it will be fun to watch her play this year.”
Auburn point guard Whitney Boddie was named second-team preseason All-SEC.
