Rust Women’s Basketball Picked To Win Gulf Coast Athletic Conference

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Rust College women's basketball program returns most of its roster from a team that won 87% of its games a year ago and the rest of the conference expects more of the same, picking the ladies from Holly Springs to win the GCAC for the second straight season.

Headlined by All-Conference performers Shay Johnson and Jasmine Coleman, the Blue and White are expected to rise to the top of the heap yet again with its three biggest challengers from last season all leaving the league (Edward Waters, Talladega and Xavier).

Pegged to finish as the runners-up are the Philander Smith Lady Panthers who went 4-8 (2-6 GCAC) with victories over Harris-Stowe State, Arkansas-Monticello (NCAA Division II), Tougaloo and a forfeit win over Dillard. It brings back two of its better student-athletes in Rakia Lane and De'vena Smith with the former being an All-GCAC selection.

Third place is projected to go to Tougaloo College who have the dubious task of replacing one of the conference's best scorers over the past four years in Amari Pittman and will look to rebound after a rough 2020-21 campaign (2-6, 1-4 GCAC).

Ranked fourth in the preseason poll was the Dillard Lady Bleu Devils, looking to regroup after a down year for the program with only two victories (LSU-Alexandria and Xavier-Louisiana).

Concluding the five-team poll is newly-minted conference member Fisk University. The Lady Bulldogs had spent the previous six seasons as an NAIA Independent after competing in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference from 2010 to 2014. The Nashville-based institution sat out last season and compiled a 6-27 record during its last competition in 2019-20.

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