Maiga and Howard earn VaSID first team all-state honors
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University women's basketball players Hamchetou Maiga (Bamako, Mali) and Okeisha Howard (Virginia Beach, Va.) were named to the All-Virginia first team as selected today by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). It is Maiga's second appearance on the team and Howard's first.
This season, Howard and Maiga provided a one-two punch in scoring for the Lady Monarchs, averaging 14.2 and 13.7 points per game. Maiga was the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 boards per outing. Both players were All-CAA first team selections while Maiga was the conference's Player of the Year.
Joining Maiga and Howard on the first team were University of Virginia sophomore post player Schuye LaRue (Washington DC), Virginia Tech's Tere Williams (Chapel Hill, NC) and University of Richmond's Michele Koclanes (Pelham, NY). LaRue, the VaSID All-Virginia Player of the Year, averaged 18.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game en route to being named a Kodak District 2 All-American. LaRue performed the double double a nation-high 23 times. In addition to Maiga and Howard, Koclanes was all first team All-CAA selection while Williams was a second team All-Big East selection.
James Madison University Head Coach Bud Childers earned Virginia Coach of the Year honors as he led his Dukes to a 23-10 overall record and 12-4 CAA record en route to an appearance in the semifinals of the 2001 Women's National Invitational.
Named to the VaSID All-Virginia second team were James Madison's Nadine Morgan (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Norfolk State's Suawanna Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.), and Liberty's Michelle Fricke (Maple Grove, Minn.) in the front court, along with Virginia Commonwealth's Rochelle Luckett (Capitol Heights, Md.) and Radford's Catrice Horton (Castle Hayne, NC) in the back court.
VaSID All-Virginia First TeamPlayerYearPos.HeightHometown/UniversityOkeisha HowardSo.G5-5Virginia Beach, Va./Old DominionMichele KoclanesJr.G5-0Pelham, NY/RichmondSchuye LaRueSo.C6-3Washington DC/VirginiaHamchetou MaigaJr.F6-1Bamako, Mali/Old DominionTere WilliamsSr.F5-11Chapel Hill, NC/Virginia TechVaSID All-Virginia Second TeamPlayerYearPos.HeightHometown/UniversityMichelle FrickeSo.F6-2Maple Grove, Minn./LibertyCatrice HortonSr.G5-7Castle Hayne, NC/RadfordRochelle LuckettJr.G5-7Capitol Heights, Md./VCUNadine MorganSo.F5-10Stone Mountain, Ga./James MadisonSuawanna TaylorSr.C6-1Virginia Beach, Va./Norfolk State