Perhaps spiders and snakes and things that go bump in the night frighten Megan Frazee. Opposing basketball players certainly don't.

Frazee, Liberty University's tall and talented junior forward, learned long ago that one cannot be intimidated unless one is willing to be intimidated. That lesson was delivered by her father, Jim, who coached Frazee at Nazarene Christian junior high school in Ohio.

"We were a small school, and we were underdogs a lot," Megan said. "Especially when we were playing against schools whose enrollment was two or three times larger than ours. My dad used to joke with us to try to get us to relax. He'd say, 'That other team, they're not here to bite you or eat you or anything like that. They're not monsters. They're just here to play basketball, same as you. So just go out and play hard and enjoy yourselves.'"

Frazee did. And still does.

"My attitude is, 'Why be intimidated?'" she said. "Every time I go out there, I go with confidence in the ability the Lord has given me and I go to have fun." Even when facing an aristocratic opponent, she said, "I'm thinking, 'Hey, let's go. Let's do it. Let's take it to 'em.'"

More often than not, she succeeds. Frazee, the Times-Dispatch's state women's basketball player of the year for 2007-08, performed at a stratospheric level while leading the Flames to a 28-3 regular-season record, Big South regular-season and tournament titles and an 11th NCAA tournament appearance in 12 years. She averaged 18.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and nearly 3 assists per game. She shot 51.1 percent. Being named Big South player of the year surprised no one.

Frazee, far more nimble than her 6-3 frame suggests, was terrific in a loss at North Carolina (18 points, 12 rebounds) and earned MVP distinction in each of the three regular-season tournaments in which Liberty participated, the Big South playoffs included. Her effort in the Big South title game against Radford was epic: 26 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. She scored the game-winning basket from deep in the paint with :0.3 seconds remaining.

Joining Frazee on the Division I first team were Virginia Commonwealth University senior forward Krystal Vaughn; Virginia sophomore guard Monica Wright, James Madison senior guard/forward Tamera Young and Old Dominion senior guard T.J. Jordan. Frazee, Young and Jordan have passed this way before. All were members of last year's all-state first team.

Vaughn (15.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) helped VCU survive and prosper after the season-ending injury suffered in mid-February by post player Quanitra Hollingsworth. Vaughn earned first-team all-CAA and CAA all-tournament distinction and helped carry the Rams to the finest record in program history (25-7).

Wright (17.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Young (19.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg) are similar in both style and substance. Both are creative scorers who are particularly dangerous off the dribble. Young was chosen as the CAA player of the year after a season in which she led the league in scoring and rebounding and became the most prolific point-producer in Dukes history. Wright, who helped drive the Cavaliers to their first NCAA appearance since 2005, was a second-team all-ACC selection.

Jordan, quietly dependable, was the foundation upon which ODU built its 17th consecutive CAA championship season. She averaged 13.2 points per game and sank 77 3-pointers. Her career 3-point harvest (318) is unmatched in CAA history. Jordan was named to the all-CAA first team for the second consecutive year and to the all-tournament team for the third.

The Division II-III first team was dominated by Christopher Newport freshman guard Chelsie Schweers, who became the first player in USA South history to win the league's rookie of the year and player of the year awards. Schweers averaged 21.6 points and buried 80 3-pointers to lead her club to the USA South title game.

Also named to the Division II-III first team: Mary Washington senior forward Liz Hickey, the CAC player of the year and a WBCA All-American who set the Division III record for career blocked shots (509); Randolph-Macon sophomore post player Molly Ariail, who averaged 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds and earned ODAC player of the year; Eastern Mennonite junior forward Carolyn Riley, an all-ODAC first-team selection who averaged 16.4 points and 7.0 rebounds; and Bridgewater freshman guard Jordan Burkholder.

Burkholder didn't deliver overwhelming numbers (14.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg), but she was the Eagles' sparkplug. She was chosen as the ODAC rookie of the year and was named most outstanding player of the ODAC tournament.

Beth Cunningham, who steered VCU to its first postseason bid in 13 years, was chosen Virginia coach of the year.

Cunningham's club won 13 of its first 14 games with Hollingsworth in the lineup and won six of its last seven regular-season games without its imposing 6-4 post player. VCU's seamless transition from a conventional post-oriented attack to a quick and aggressive four-guard alignment enabled the Rams to defeat perennial CAA contender James Madison three times and reach the CAA tournament title game for the first time.

Many of the Rams were disappointed when they fell just short of the first NCAA tournament bid in program history. Cunningham chose a philosophical stance.

"You want it to happen overnight, but it never does," she said. "It's a process. We need to remember that. Realistically, [coming tantalizingly close] is probably a step we had to take before we actually make it to the Big Dance."

The all-state team was selected by Times-Dispatch women's basketball writer Vic Dorr Jr.