By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA women’s basketball head coaches selected Fort Hays State to finish fifth according to the 2020-21 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released Tuesday (Nov. 10) by the league office during MIAA Basketball Virtual Media Day Presented By Seigfreid Bingham. It is the ninth-consecutive year the Tigers have been listed in the top five of the preseason ranks, dating back to the 2012-13 edition of the poll.
Fort Hays State was ranked at the top of one coaches ballot, helping the Tigers to 125 points in the voting process. The Tigers were one of four teams to receive a first-place vote. Emporia State topped the poll with 153 points and four first-place votes, with Nebraska-Kearney (146 points, six first-place votes), Central Missouri (143 points, three first-place votes) and Pittsburg State (140 points) rounding out the top four.
The Tigers turned in a 23-7 overall record last year and qualified for a third-straight trip to the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship before the cancellation of the event. Fort Hays State finished in a tie for fourth in the MIAA standings, going 13-6 in league play and reaching the MIAA Championship semifinals for the third year in a row.
Head coach Tony Hobson returns eight letterwinners from a year ago, including two starters and one all-conference performer. Jaden Hobbs was named to the All-MIAA third team last year after leading the team with 12.6 points and 4.7 assists per game. Six talented true freshmen round out this year’s roster and provide depth at each position on the floor.
Hobson, the winningest coach in program history, enters his 13th year at the helm with a record of 260-101, good for a winning percentage of .720. Now in his 29th year as a collegiate head coach, Hobson is 673-207 overall (.765).
The Tigers will play conference opponents exclusively throughout the 22-game regular season, including home-and-home matchups against nine schools and a single contest against the remaining four MIAA institutions. Fort Hays State is scheduled to open the season at home against in-state rivals Washburn and Emporia State on November 19 and 21, respectively. The Tigers will then host Kansas State in an exhibition contest on November 25 at 1 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum before returning to league play on the road in December.
Fans will be allowed inside the Coliseum in a limited capacity throughout the season. More information on tickets, policies and procedures can be found HERE.
2020-2021 MIAA Women’s Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Emporia State (4) – 153 points
2. Nebraska-Kearney (6) – 146 points
3. Central Missouri (3) – 143 points
4. Pittsburg State – 140 points
5. Fort Hays State (1) – 125 points
6. Missouri Western – 109 points
7. Central Oklahoma – 104 points
8. Washburn – 79 points
9. Northwest Missouri State – 76 points
10. Missouri Southern – 65 points
11. Newman – 55 points
12. Northeastern State – 37 points
13. Rogers State – 28 points
14. Lincoln – 14 points
(First-place votes in parentheses)
*Coaches cannot vote for their own team