BOSTON — Two players - Rachel Laws of Binghamton University, and Danielle Hutcheson of University at Albany - were unanimous preseason all-conference choices as voted by the America East women's basketball coaches. Both players received nine votes (coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players) and were first-team all-conference selections from a year ago.
Joining Laws and Hutcheson on the All-Conference team are junior guards Maralene Zwarich of Northeastern University, and Erika Messam of University of Hartford, both of which were second-team all-conference selections last year. Senior forward Adrienne Norris of Boston University, a third-team choice a season ago, is the fifth selection to the 2003-04 preseason team.
The 6-4 Hutcheson, a second-team all-conference choice in 2003, averaged 12.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game to lead the Great Danes in both categories. Her rebounding average was second in the conference, and she is the top returning rebounder this season. She is just 88 rebounds away from the school record. Hutcheson, Albany's first-ever America East First Team All-Conference Selection, played a big part in the Great Danes setting a school record for Division I wins in a season (13) and conference victories (nine).
Laws, a 5-11 guard, led the Bearcats in both scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). She was fifth in the conference in scoring, and is the top returning scorer and second leading rebounder in the conference. She helped Binghamton to a school-best 12-6 record in conference games, earning a No. 2 seed for the 2004 conference championship.
Norris, a 6-1 forward, was one of the conferences' best all-around players last season. She was among the league's top-20 players in every major statistical category. She ranked 20th in scoring (9.8 ppg), eighth in rebounding (7.2 rpg), 13th in assists (2.5 apg), ninth in blocks (0.70 bpg) and fourth in steals (2.23 spg). Norris is also clutch at the charity stripe, ranking fourth in the league last year (.820).
The 5-9 Messam is the conference’s leading returning assist-giver and one of the top-defensive guards as she led the Hawks with 3.83 assists and 2.28 steals per game a season ago. She also was the team's leading scorer with 10.9 points per game.
Zwarich, a 6-0 forward, finished as the Huskies only double-digit scorer (14.1 ppg). Her scoring average was good for sixth in the conference and she also posted 5.6 rebounds per game for the 15-15 Huskies.