Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

ATLANTA, Ga. (October 16, 2019) - Benedict’s junior forward, Ay’Anna Bey, was selected as the 2019 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year and Miles’ senior guard Najla Shamsid-Deen has earned the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, announced Wednesday by the league office.
 
The preseason honors and predicted order of finish are voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. 
 
Entering her third season with the Lady Tigers of Benedict College, Ay’Anna Bey has been named the 2019-2020 SIAC Preseason Player of the Year. Coming off a great season, Bey has garnished two distinctive honors for her efforts. As the reigning SIAC Player of the Year and Top Female Student- Athlete of the Year at Benedict, Bey led the Lady Tigers to an extraordinary undefeated season in conference play last year. Averaging 38 minutes a game, Bey averaged 23.7 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting over 62 percent from the field (220-355), 44 percent from the three-point line, and 78 percent from the free-throw line. Ranking top ten in Division II for both points and rebounds a game, Bey was selected All-South Region and was an honorable mention selection by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The New Jersey native tallied 338 rebounds with 39 assists, 28 blocks, and 33 steals during her 2018-2019 campaign and is looking to lead her team to another undefeated season.
 
Entering senior campaign with the Golden Bears, Najla Shamsid-Deen has been named this year’s Defensive Player of the Year. As a junior, Shamsid-Deen averaged 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds for the Lady Bears and was the catalyst of their stellar defense only allowing teams to score 54.8 points a game. The Stone Mountain native led the Bears in steals with 60 on the season with an average of 2.4 a game and ranked 26th for Division II in steals.
 
Joining Bey and Shamsid-Deen on the 2019 SIAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Team are Tiffany Valentine (Spring Hill), Alicia Franklin (Fort Valley State), Reagan Jackson (Clark Atlanta), Keondra Archie (Paine), Takyra Gilbert (Central State), Reyana Miller (Clark Atlanta), India Blakely (Tuskegee), Jessie Kee (Kentucky State) who were also named to the 2018-2019 SIAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team. New additions include Shelle Daniels of Tuskegee University. 
 
2019-20 SIAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Team
 
First Team

Name	Position	Institution	Classification	Hometown
Ay’anna Bey*	Forward	Benedict	Junior	Blackwood, NJ
Tiffany Valentine*	Forward	Spring Hill	Redshirt Senior	Houston, Texas
Alicia Franklin*	Guard	Fort Valley State	Senior	Atlanta, Ga
Reagan Jackson*	Guard	Clark Atlanta	Sophomore	Chesapeake, Va.
Keondra Archie*	Forward	Paine	Junior	Eastover, SC

 
Second Team

Name	Position	Institution	Classification	Hometown
Takyra Gilbert*	Guard	Central State	Senior	Hamilton, Ohio
Jessie Kee*	Guard/Forward	Kentucky State	Senior	Indianapolis, In.
Reyana Miller*	Guard	Clark Atlanta	Senior	Rialto, Ca.
India Blakely*	Guard	Tuskegee	Senior	Troy, Ala.
Shelle Daniels	Small Forward	Tuskegee	Senior	Indianapolis, Ind.
Najla Shamsid-Deen	Guard	Miles	Senior	Stone Mountain, Ga.

 
*Indicates returner for 2018-19 SIAC All-Conference Team
 
Superlatives
Preseason Player of the Year: Ay’Anna Bey, Benedict
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Najla Shamsid-Deen, Miles
 
Preseason Rankings
Eastern Division

1. Benedict
2. Clark Atlanta
3. Savannah State
4. Paine
5. Albany State
6. Fort Valley State

 
Western Division

1. Kentucky State
2. Tuskegee
3. Central State
4. Lane
5. Miles
6. LeMoyne-Owen
7. Spring Hill