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 18th 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 Sonia Johnson Delaware State G/F 5-10 Fr. Yorktown, Va. Antonia
Bennett
Florida A&M
G/F 6-1
Fr. Lakeland, Fla. |