Street & Smith’s annual basketball yearbook released its 2018-19 preseason all-America teams, and its Preseason Women’s Top 20 with the Baylor Bears ranking No. 4 while senior center Kalani Brown took home First Team Preseason All-America honors and junior center Lauren Cox was a second-team selection.
Baylor finished 33-2 last season winning the Big 12 regular season and tournament championship to combine for its 17th and 18th league titles. The Lady Bears also advanced to the program’s 13th NCAA Sweet 16.
Brown and Cox return to anchor six experienced lettermen while five incoming freshman and graduate transfer Chloe Jackson provide new faces. Brown has earned eight postseason all-America honors in her career while Cox has a pair.
Brown averaged 20.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest last season while posting the second-highest field goal percentage in Baylor school history at a .650 clip. Cox nearly averaged a double-double herself with 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest as a sophomore last season.
Street & Smith ranked Notre Dame at No. 1, Oregon at No. 2 and UConn at No. 3 while Big 12 foe, Texas, checked in at No. 14.
Baylor’s season begins Nov. 6 against Nicholls State at home with a 6 p.m. tip.
