Oct. 24, 2006
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina senior women’s basketball player Melanie Johnson earned preseason second team all-Southeastern Conference honors, it was announced today.
A second-team all-SEC pick by the Associated Press in 2005-06, Johnson emerged as Carolina’s top player as the season went on last year. Johnson averaged 11.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She blocked 29 shots and made 67 steals. The Barnwell native played her best late in the season, posting double-doubles in each of Carolina’s last three games and in five of the team’s last eight contests. She set a new career high when she scored 27 points in the Gamecocks’ win at Florida.
Johnson and the Gamecocks open the season Nov. 12 when they host East Tennessee State at the Colonial Center. Tip off is set for 3 p.m.
| Preseason First Team All-SEC | Pos | Ht | Cl | Hometown | |
| DeWanna Bonner | Auburn | G | 6-4 | So. | Fairfield, Ala. |
| Sha Brooks | Florida | G | 5-7 | So. | Jackson, Tenn. |
| Cori Chambers | Georgia | G | 5-9 | Sr. | Elmsford, N.Y. |
| Tasha Humphrey | Georgia# | F | 6-3 | Jr. | Gainesville, Ga. |
| Sylvia Fowles | LSU# | C | 6-6 | Jr. | Miami, Fla. |
| Armintie Price | Ole Miss# | G | 5-9 | Sr. | Myrtle, Miss. |
| Candace Parker | Tennessee# | F/C/G | 6-4 | So. | Naperville, Ill. |
| Dee Davis | Vanderbilt | G | 5-7 | Sr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Preseason Second Team All-SEC | Pos | Ht | Cl | Hometown | |
| Navonda Moore | Alabama | G/F | 5-10 | Sr. | Jackson, Miss. |
| Sarah Pfeifer | Arkansas | F | 6-0 | Sr. | Ozark, Ark. |
| Samantha Mahoney | Kentucky | G | 5-10 | Jr. | Detroit, Mich. |
| Erica White | LSU | G | 5-3 | Jr. | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Melanie Johnson | South Carolina | F | 6-1 | Sr. | Barnwell, S.C. |
| Alexis Hornbuckle | Tennessee | G | 5-11 | Jr. | Charleston, W.V. |
| Nicky Anosike | Tennessee | F/C | 6-4 | Jr. | Staten Island, N.Y. |
| Carla Thomas | Vanderbilt | F/C | 6-3 | Sr. | Mechanicsburg, Pa. |
#-Unanimous Selection; Ties are not broken
