Oct. 15, 2008

Irving, Texas - University of Tulsa junior forward Larrissa Williams was one of five players tabbed to the Conference USA Preseason Team, as announced today by the league office. The team also features Preseason Player of the Year Jareica Hughes (UTEP), Pauline Love (Southern Miss), LaCoya Terry (East Carolina) and Jasmine Young (East Carolina).

Williams started all 31 games as a sophomore, and nearly averaged a double-double with 14.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. She will be a key player on a team that returns all five starters and eight letterwinners from last season.

C-USA also released the preseason poll, with TU getting a seventh-place nod by the league's coaches, trailing No. 1 Southern Miss, No. 2 SMU, No. 3 UTEP, No. 4 East Carolina, No. 5 Tulane and No. 6 Marshall. The Golden Hurricane has high expectations for the upcoming season, as TU will boast a 15-member squad, the largest since joining the league in 2005. Last year, Tulsa posted four wins over three of the top-five preseason selections, with two victories over SMU, and one each against Southern Miss and Tulane.

2008-09 ALL-C-USA PRESEASON TEAM 
Student-Athlete	School	Ht.	Cl.	Pos.	Hometown
*Jareica Hughes	UTEP	5-3	Jr.	G	Southfield, Mich.
Pauline Love	Southern Miss	6-0	Jr. 	F	Luxora, Ark.
LaCoya Terry	East Carolina	5-10	Sr.	G	Hephzibah, Ga.
Larrissa Williams	Tulsa	6-3	Jr.	F/C	Little Rock, Ark.
Jasmine Young	East Carolina	5-5	Sr.	G	Richmond, Va.
* indicates C-USA Preseason Player of the Year
2008-09 C-USA PRESEASON POLL
1. Southern Miss
2. SMU
3. UTEP
4. East Carolina
5. Tulane
6. Marshall
7. Tulsa