By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Anna Deets became the first Western Illinois basketball player to be honored by the Ohio Valley Conference, when the senior guard was named to the preseason women’s basketball team.

Western Illinois’ men’s basketball team was picked eighth in the preseason poll, released Tuesday. Western Illinois’ women’s team was picked 10th in the 11-team league.

This will be the first season the Leathernecks have played in the OVC. Western Illinois left the Summit League on June 30.

Deets, a Mason City, Iowa native, was an honorable-mention All-Summit League pick after last season, when she averaged a team-best 12.4 points. She led the Leathernecks with 105 field goals, 49 3-pointers, and 113 free throws.

Western Illinois’ men’s team, coming off a second consecutive 16-win season, did not have a preseason all-conference individual selection.

Getting through the first season in a new league will be a challenge, Western Illinois coach Chad Boudreau said during Tuesday’s media day in Evansville, Indiana.

“We were preparing for the Summit (League), the Summit is a great league too, so I can tell you everything about the Summit, but I have no idea about the Ohio Valley,” Boudreau said. “I do know a ton of the coaches, I love the coaches in this league, they’re great people, we were hanging out last night, we’re lifelong friends and I value the relationships, but saying that, I do know nothing about the league, so we’re going to prepare for this one like the Summit because it is a similar feel.

“We feel we have a shot coming into the league like we felt we had a shot to win the Summit too.”

Morehead State was picked the preseason favorites for the 2023-24 season. It marks the second-straight year the Eagles have been tabbed the favorite.

The Eagles picked up 20 of 22 first-place votes, with Tennessee State getting the other two. Morehead State had 200 points. SIU-Edwardsville (162 points) was picked second. Tennessee State (153) was picked third and was followed by UT Martin (149), Southeast Missouri (124), Tennessee Tech (120), Little Rock (85), Western Illinois (80), Southern Indiana (63), Lindenwood (40) and Eastern Illinois (34).

Tennessee Tech received 16 of the 22 first-place votes to be selected the preseason women’s basketball favorite. Little Rock, with five first-place votes, was picked second. Eastern Illinois, with one first-place vote, was third.

UT-Martin was picked fourth in the league, followed by Southeast Missouri State, Southern Indiana, SIU-Edwardsville, Tennessee State, Morehead State, Western Illinois and Lindenwood.

Photo: Western Illinois guard Anna Deets (left) was named to the preseason Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball team. (Dave Eggen/Inertia)