San José, Calif. - The Mountain West released its 2020-21 preseason women's basketball poll on Thursday and San José State has been picked to finish second by the conference's head coaches and media members.
The second-place selection is the highest in program history, topping SJSU's third-place pick in the 2005-06 WAC preseason coaches poll.
The Spartans received a pair of first-place votes and a total of 239 points on the 26 ballots that were submitted. The team is coming off the program's most successful season in 40 years, winning 19 games to claim the nation's largest single-season win turnaround.
Also announced Thursday was this year's preseason All-Mountain West team. Point guard Ayzhiana Basallo became the fourth Spartan in program history to receive a preseason all-conference nod and is the school's first honoree since 2017 (Dezz Ramos).
Basallo, along with senior Tyra Whitehead, were named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason watch list last week. SJSU placed more student-athletes on the watch list than any other team in the Mountain West and were one of just two schools nationally with multiple honorees.
A junior out of San Francisco, Basallo is the reigning Mountain West Newcomer of the Year. She averaged a team-high 18.5 points per game a year ago and was ranked first in the conference in both scoring and free throw percentage (92.5 percent).
The Spartans are set to open the regular season on Wednesday at California. The team's Mountain West slate tips off on Dec. 21 against Utah State at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
2020-21 Mountain West Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Fresno State (22) - 266 points
2. San José State (2) - 239
3. Boise State (1) - 221
4. San Diego State (1) - 185
5. Wyoming - 173
6. New Mexico - 145
7. Air Force - 120
8. Colorado State - 117
9. UNLV - 111
10. Nevada - 95
11. Utah State - 44
Preseason All-Conference Team
Ayzhiana Basallo, 5-5, Jr., PG, San José State
Mallory McGwire, 6-5, Sr., C, Boise State
Sophia Ramos, 5-9, Jr., G, San Diego State
Haley Cavinder, 5-6, So., G, Fresno State
Maddi Utti, 5-11, Sr., F, Fresno State
