Both McNeese State basketball teams were picked for the middle of the pack Tuesday during the Southland Conference’s video media day.

The Cowboys were selected fifth with 97 points while the Cowgirls placed sixth with 98 points.

Teams from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi were selected by coaches and sports information directors first in both men’s and women’s polls. Both received 11 of the 20 first-place votes.

The Corpus Christi men, winner’s of last year’s SLC Tournament, earned 149 total points with the women getting 148.

Last year, Lynn Kennedy’s first season as head coach, the Cowgirls finished 13-15 and fourth place in the SLC with 8-6 mark. They return eight players.

“It doesn’t matter where you are picked it matters where you finish,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think we have won anything,” he added when asked about the prediction. “Our finish to the tourney (a first-round loss) last year probably added to that.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Kennedy said.

The Cowgirls have two players who were named to the preseason all-SLC team. Sophomore Kaili Chamberlin, the reigning freshman of the year in the league, was named to the first team while senior Desirae Hansen was picked for the second team.

Chamberlin led the Cowgirls a season ago in scoring at 11 points a game and free-throw percentage (89.8) and was second on the team with 51 3-pointers made for an average of 5.8 per game.

Hansen led the SLC with 2.4 3-pointers per game and a 37.6 3-point field goal percentage. She was second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 point per game.

Hansen is coming off hip surgery.

“She is healthy and running better,” Kennedy said. “We expect big things from her this season.”

As for the Cowboys, 10 newcomers join a team that finished 11-22 last season. Sophomore forward Christian Shumate was the lone Cowboy named to the SLC preseason teams.

Shumate, who averaged 12.2 points and 6.7 rebounds a game last as a freshman, earned third-team honors last season.

“This offseason Christian has taken his game to another level,” said McNeese men’s head coach John Aiken. “He has been working really hard at his game.”

Aiken said he hopes that the work put in last year and changes made in the offseason lead to a bounce-back year for the Cowboys.

“I’m excited about the foundation we established last year and what we have done heading into this season,” Aiken said.

Both teams open the season at home on Nov. 7. The women play Ecclesia College at 11 a.m. while the men take on Champion College at 7 p.m. in the Legacy Center.

SLC Basketball Polls

Men 

School.Pts. 

Texas A&M-CC (11).149

Nicholls State (6).137

New Orleans (2).129

SE Louisiana.105

McNeese State.97

Northwestern State.92

Texas A&M-Commerce.56

Houston Christian (1).55

Lamar.44

Incarnate Word.36

(First-place votes)

Women

School.Pts.

Texas A&M-CC (11).148

Houston Christian (5).131

SE Louisiana (3).122

Lamar.103

Texas A&M-Comm.(1).101

McNeese State.98

Incarnate Word.64

Northwestern State.61

New Orleans.47

Nicholls State.25

(First-place votes)