Lamar sports information

BEAUMONT – Lamar sophomore guard Chastadie Barrs has been named a second-team preseason All-Southland Conference selection, while the LU women’s basketball team is picked to finish in the top half of the SLC this season in votes of the league’s coaches and sports information directors.

Barrs, who finished second in the nation in steals last season en route to becoming the first-ever freshman (male or female) to be named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 10.3 points and 5.9 steals per game in 2015-16 while leading the Cardinals with 123 steals and 121 assists.

Barrs is the only sophomore on the preseason all-conference squad, which has eight seniors and one junior.

“It’s a great honor for Chastadie,” LU coach Robin Harmony said of the preseason all-conference selection. “Last season, not only was she great on defense, but as a freshman she did a good job of bringing the ball up the court.”

Last season, the Cardinals went 12-19 overall and 7-11 in the conference, earning the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament. LU won an epic double-overtime game over Houston Baptist in the first round of the tourney before falling to McNeese in the second round.

The Cardinals are picked to finish fourth by the conference’s coaches, while the SLC’s sports information directors tabbed LU to finish tied for fifth with Northwestern State. Abilene Christian, Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin are picked to finish 1-2-3 in both polls.

“We still have a young team this year with several sophomores and freshmen,” Harmony said. “The top teams have plenty of seniors, so they deserve to be picked where they are.”

The Cardinals open the 2016-17 season with a two-game road swing, facing Final Four participant Oregon State on Nov. 11 and Oregon, which advanced to the Final Four of the WNIT, on Nov. 13. The home season tips off at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 against St. Thomas.