CUSA Pre Season Awards

[TheBand]

CONFERENCE USA 5201 N. OConnor Boulevard, Suite 300, Irving, TX

75039

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Courtney Morrison-Archer OCTOBER 26, 2004

LOUISVILLE REPEATS AS PRESEASON CONFERENCE USA FAVORITE

Cardinals Francisco Garcia Chosen Preseason Player of the Year

IRVING, Texas ? Led by the Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year

selection Francisco Garcia, Louisville is the coaches preseason

favorite for the second straight year to win the 2004-05 C-USA

regular-season crown.

Garcia, a 2003-04 C-USA All-Conference First Team selection and the

2002-03 C-USA Freshman of the Year, is Louisvilles top returning scorer

(16.4 ppg) and assist man (4.68 apg). Garcia became only the 15th

player in the Cardinals storied history to score at least 800 points in

their first two years.

Garcia makes his second consecutive appearance on the preseason squad,

along with senior guard Travis Diener of Marquette. Diener was a First

Team All-Conference pick last season after averaging a Conference-best

18.8 points and 6.03 assists per game, while shooting 88 percent from

the charity stripe and 45 percent from three-point range.

Two other 2003-04 All-Conference First Team selections, Memphis

sophomore Sean Banks and Charlotte junior Curtis Withers, also received

a nod on the preseason team. Banks was the 2003-04 C-USA Freshman of the

Year, ranking second in the league with 17.4 points per game and first

in Conference games with a 20.3 ppg average. Withers is the

Conferences top returning rebounder, averaging 9.5 per game, and posted

16 double-doubles (the NCAAs fourth-best total).

Rounding out the 2004-05 Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team is

Cincinnatis Jason Maxiell, who led the Bearcats in scoring (13.6) and

rebounding (6.9) last season, while shooting 50 percent from the field.

This is the 6-7 forwards third consecutive selection to the preseason

all-conference team. All five members of the C-USA Preseason

All-Conference team are also on the preseason watch list for the 2005

John R. Wooden Award.

Memphis and Cincinnati ranked second and third, respectively, in the

coaches poll. Charlotte came in fourth, followed by UAB and DePaul.

Marquette and Saint Louis, who both earned postseason bids to the NIT,

rated seventh and eighth. TCU is hoping to get over the .500 mark and

was selected ninth by the coaches. Southern Miss was picked 10th,

followed by East Carolina, Tulane, Houston and USF.

Last season, Conference USA produced a league-record six NCAA Tournament

teams, with UAB advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. Additionally, two teams

participated in the National Invitation Tournament.

Memphis will serve as host city for the 2005 Conference USA Tournament,

March 9-12 at the new state-of-the-art FedEx Forum. The first round and

quarterfinal games will be carried on ESPN2 and ESPN Plus, while the

semifinals will be carried on ESPN. The championship game is slated for

Saturday, March 12 at 11:45 a.m. EST on CBS.

-- more --

2004-05 CONFERENCE USA COACHES PRESEASON POLL

1. Louisville (11) 192

2. Memphis (2) 172

3. Cincinnati (1) 171

4. Charlotte 148

5. UAB 136

6. DePaul 122

7. Marquette 120

8. Saint Louis 93

9. TCU 88

10. Southern Miss 65

11. East Carolina 55

12. Tulane 41

13. Houston 29

14. USF 25

(#) designates first place votes

PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM

*Francisco Garcia, Louisville, F, 6-7, Jr., Bronx, N.Y.

Sean Banks, Memphis, F, 6-8, So., Oradell, N.J.

Travis Diener, Marquette, G, 6-1, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.

Jason Maxiell, Cincinnati, F, 6-7, Sr., Carrollton, Texas

Curtis Withers, Charlotte, F, 6-8, Jr., Charlotte, N.C.

* - Preseason Player of the Year

[slufanskip]

thanks

Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman

[davidnark]

Didn't I read that same preview each of the last ten seasons?

[nicoloj]

They have picked the same teams in the same order for the history of the conference,,,why change now