FARMINGTON, Utah (October 28, 2021) – The Big Sky Conference is shaping up to be a deep and talented league this season when it comes to women's basketball, and that has been made even more apparent by the lineup of women selected to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team that was released today by the league office.
The preseason all-conference team is voted on by Big Sky head coaches, sports information directors, and select media.
Headlining the listing and earning Preseason Most Valuable Player honors is Idaho's Beyonce Bea.
Bea was a first-team All-Big Sky honoree a season ago as a unanimous selection following the regular season. She averaged 16.5 points per game while shooting 42.6 percent from the field. She also helped lead her Vandals to the Big Sky Conference Championship game.
The Washougal, Washington native was an All-Big Sky team member following the 2019-20 campaign, taking home third-team recognition. She is a two-time Player of the Week winner and an honoree on the All-Academic Team.
Earning preseason honors from Montana State is reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, Darian White. White averaged 5.1 rebounds per game and 2.7 steals per game last season for the Bobcats. She also led the Bobcats in scoring, averaging 14.6 ppg and scoring in double-figures in 22 of the 24 games she played.
White originally hails from Boise, Idaho, the site of the Big Sky Conference Championship. She prepped at Mountain View High School.
The first of two honorees from Idaho State, Dora Goles returns for the Bengals this season as a graduate student after helping navigate her team to an NCAA Tournament berth a season ago.
Last season the guard from Split, Croatia, started in 25 games for ISU and averaged 12.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, and nearly three assists per contest. She was solid from behind the three-point line, shooting .381 percent.
Goles was also a first-team All-Big Sky honoree last season. The year prior, she was a second-team member.
Joining Goles on the preseason roster from Idaho State is Diaba Konate. Last season she was a second-team all-conference honoree and a massive part of leading ISU to a regular season and tournament championship.
Against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament, Konate scored 16 points hitting 7-of-12 from the field. She shot .484 percent from the field and averaged 4.6 rebounds per game. Offensively, she scored 11.9 points per game for the Bengals.
Representing the Lady Griz of Montana on the preseason list, junior forward Carmen Gfeller has earned the nod as a preseason all-conference team member.
Last season Gfeller was a third-team All-Big Sky honoree, as well as earning Academic All-Big Sky honors. She started in all 23 games, playing 29.1 minutes per contest. She led the Lady Griz with 14.3 ppg, which ranked her sixth in the Big Sky.
The Colfax, Washington native shot 52.9 percent from the field in 2020-21, which was the eighth-best single-season percentage in Montana history.
Northern Arizona's Khiarica Rasheed rounds out the preseason all-conference team after being named preseason MVP ahead of the 2020-21 season.
After averaging 13.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg in 18 starts in 2020-21, Rasheed was an All-Big Sky third-team member. Rasheed is a member of NAU's 1,000-point club and is highly ranked in several NAU historical statistical categories.
Rasheed is a graduate student from Portland, Oregon.
The Bengals of Idaho State were named the preseason favorites by both coaches and media last week, followed by Montana State and Idaho in both rankings.
Tune in to the Big Sky Tipoff on November 4 to get a full breakdown of the preseason polls. The Tipoff will be streamed on ESPN+.
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| 2021-22 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team |
| Name |
Position |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Beyonce Bea (MVP) |
Guard/Post |
Junior |
Idaho |
Washougal, Wash. |
| Darian White |
Guard |
Junior |
Montana State |
Boise, Idaho |
| Dora Goles |
Guard |
Graduate Student |
Idaho State |
Split, Croatia |
| Diaba Konate |
Guard |
Redshirt Junior |
Idaho State |
Paris, France |
| Carmen Gfeller |
Forward |
Redshirt Junior |
Montana |
Colfax, Wash. |
| Khiarica Rasheed |
Forward |
Graduate Student |
Northern Arizona |
Portland, Ore. |