Jacksonville sophomore Tatum Brown swept the ASUN’s preseason Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the program’s first preseason conference player of the year. Brown and sophomore Aniah Smith also earned All-ASUN recognition as the reigning conference tournament champions prepare to defend their title.

By the Numbers
  • Brown averaged 10 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a freshman.
  • She recorded 77 steals, the second-highest single-season total in Jacksonville history.
  • Jacksonville received 4 first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll; FGCU received 3.
Yes, But

Jacksonville was picked first, but FGCU was close behind in the coaches poll. The Dolphins finished second in last season’s regular-season standings before winning the conference tournament.

State of Play
  • Jacksonville is the defending ASUN tournament champion and is returning Brown and Smith, both sophomores.
  • All eight conference teams will make the tournament; the third- and fourth-place seeds get first-round byes, while the top two seeds advance directly to the semifinals.
Bottom Line

Brown’s two major preseason honors signal that Jacksonville’s title defense will be built around one of the league’s top returning players, with Smith also positioned to contribute.