MEAC ANNOUNCES 2009 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS Sahar Abdur-Rashid 03/09/09

Lady Aggies’ Taylor-James Named Player of the Year

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (March 9, 2009)- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its 2009 all-conference selections Monday evening at the Tip-Off Basketball Tournament Banquet at the M.C. Benton Jr. Convention Center in Winston-Salem ,N.C. North Carolina A&T guard/forward Brittanie Taylor-James was selected as the Player of the Year as voted by the leagues’ head coaches and sports information directors.

Patricia Cage-Bibbs, also of North Carolina A&T, was named the 2009 Coach of the Year.  Sonia Johnson of Delaware State was chosen as the Rookie of the Year, while Coppin State’s Whitney Cunningham was named the Defensive Player of the Year.

Taylor-James helped the Lady Aggies conclude the regular-season in first place after posting a 15-1 MEAC mark and 23-6 overall record. The senior is ranked 18^th in the nation and led the league in scoring with 19.5 points per game. In addition, Taylor-James ranked among the top 20 in the MEAC in seven statistical categories and led her team in points, field goal attempts and free-throws made. She tallied 20 or more points 13 times this season including three 30-plus point performances.

Cage-Bibbs earned Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season after guiding her team to back-to-back regular season MEAC titles. Under her leadership, the Lady Aggies concluded the regular season with a 15-1 mark in MEAC play and will enter the tournament as the number one seed.

Johnson led her rookie counterparts in scoring and field goal percentage and averaged 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds to aid her team to an 11-5 conference record and 15-14 overall mark. The forward tallied 18 double-digit point performances, including four 20-plus point games.

Cunningham led the MEAC with 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots in 24 overall games.  She guided her team to a 12-4 MEAC mark and 14-13 overall record. Cunningham recorded 10 double-digit rebound performances and tied a MEAC season-high seven blocks against Maryland-Baltimore County. The senior led the MEAC with 10.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots and 59-percent field goal percentage during conference match-ups.  Offensively, she added 12.5 points and shot over 50-percent from the field.

Taylor-James was joined on the 2009 MEAC First-Team by Whitney Cunningham (Coppin State), Amber Bland (North Carolina A&T), April McBride (Maryland E. Shore) and Corin Adams (Morgan State).

The 2009 All-MEAC Second-Team included Zykia Brown (Howard), Demetria Frank (Bethune-Cookman), Chinyere Ukoh (Hampton) and Marie Reid (South Carolina State).

Johnson was joined on the 2009 MEAC Rookie Team by Jericka Jenkins (Hampton), Bernadette Fortune (Hampton), Antonia Bennett (Florida A&M) and Marquilla Evans (Norfolk State).

The MEAC Basketball Tournament begins Tuesday, March 10 through Saturday, March 14 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (LJVM) in Winston-Salem, N.C. The women’s games tip-off on Tuesday at 11 a.m. with #10 South Carolina State taking on #7 Florida A&M. North Carolina A&T, the 2009 regular-season champions, will face off against the winner of the #8 Howard v. #9 Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

2009 Women’s Basketball All-Conference Teams

Coach of the Year:  Patricia Cage-Bibbs, North  Carolina A&T State University

Player of the Year:  Brittanie Taylor-James, North Carolina A&T State University

Rookie of the Year: Sonia Johnson, Delaware State

Defensive Player of the Year: Whitney Cunningham, Coppin State

 

FIRST TEAM

Name                             School                     Pos     Ht.          Cl.    Hometown

Corin Adams                  Morgan State           G         5-7          Jr.     Brooklyn, N.Y.

Amber Bland                  North Carolina A&T             G            5-11 Sr.       Boardman, Ohio

April McBride                 Md. Eastern Shore   F          6-1          So.    New Rochelle, N.Y.

Brittanie Taylor-James North Carolina A&T             G            6-0    Jr.        Evanston, Ill.

Whitney Cunningham    Coppin State            C         6-3          Sr.    Baltimore, Md.

SECOND TEAM

Name                             School                           Pos        Ht.          Cl.       Hometown

Zykia Brown                   Howard                          G            5-8          So.       Riverdale, Md.

Demetria Frank              Bethune-Cookman        G            5-9          So.       Miami, Fla.

Sonia Johnson               Delaware State              G/F         5-10        Fr.        Yorktown, Va.

Chinyere Ukoh               Hampton                        F             6-3          Sr.       Woodbridge, Va.

Marie Reid                     South Carolina State      C            6-4          Sr.       Augusta, Ga.

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Name                             School                     Pos     Ht.          Cl.    Hometown
Jericka Jenkins              Hampton                  G         5-4          Fr.     Lancaster, Texas
Bernadette Fortune        Hampton                  G         5-4          So.    Virginia Beach, Va.

Sonia Johnson               Delaware State        G/F      5-10        Fr.     Yorktown, Va.

Antonia Bennett             Florida A&M             G/F      6-1          Fr.     Lakeland, Fla.
Marquilla Evans          Norfolk State   F          5-8       Fr.        Portsmouth, Va.