March 10, 2010
HARRISONBURG, Va. (March 10, 2010) - Delaware freshman forward/guard Elena Delle Donne was selected as the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association women's basketball Player and Rookie of the Year in voting by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and members of the media. The announcement was made Wednesday evening at the CAA's pre-tournament awards banquet in Harrisonburg, Va.
Also receiving top honors were Old Dominion's Wendy Larry as CAA Coach of the Year and VCU's Kita Waller as CAA Defensive Player of the Year. Drexel's Gabriela Marginean and Georgia State's Brittany Graham were chosen as co-recipients of the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award.
Delle Donne is just the second player in conference history to earn CAA Player and Rookie of the Year accolades. She joins Old Dominion's Lucienne Berthieu, who earned both honors in 1999. The freshman forward/guard from Delaware leads the conference and ranks second in the nation in scoring with 26.9 points per game. She has already scored a school-record 673 points this season, which is the fifth-highest total in CAA history. Delle Donne also tops the conference in free throw (91.5%) and three-point (44.4%) shooting percentage. She has broken numerous records this season, including her CAA-record 54-point performance against James Madison on Feb. 18.
Larry guided the Lady Monarchs to their 15th CAA regular-season title with a 14-4 record. ODU started the season just 3-10 overall, but reeled off eight straight victories and captured 13 of its final 16 contests. Larry is the winningest coach in CAA history with a career mark of 536-190. The Coach of the Year honor is the eighth for Larry, the most by any CAA coach and it is the tenth time in her career she has been named her league's Coach of the Year.
Waller led the conference with 2.6 steals per outing to receive CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors. The senior guard led her team with 69 steals to help the Rams rank second in the league with 10.4 steals per game. Waller is VCU's first Defensive Player of the Year since Rochelle Luckett won the award for the third straight time in 2002.
Marginean and Graham are the second co-winners of the Dean Ehlers Leadership award, which is presented annually to the women's basketball student-athlete who "embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, and sportsmanship in conjunction with her academic athletic achievement." Marginean, a senior forward, is the league's all-time scoring leader with 2,519 points, while Graham, a senior guard, is Georgia State's premiere three-point shooter with 46 treys this season.
Joining Delle Donne on the All-CAA first team were Marginean, Towson's senior guard Shanae Baker-Brice, James Madison junior guard Dawn Evans, and VCU senior forward D'Andra Moss.
Baker-Brice was fifth in the CAA in scoring (17.9 ppg), fifth in assists (4.3 apg), and seventh in steals (2.2 spg). Evans was second in the conference and ranked fourth in the nation in scoring with 25.5 ppg. She also topped the nation in three-point field goals per game with 3.9. Marginean is third in the league and ranked eighth in the nation in scoring with 22.9 ppg. Moss was sixth in the league in scoring with 17.5 ppg and 16th in the CAA grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game.
ODU was represented on the Second Team, by junior Jasmine Parker, who also earned All-Defensive Team honors. Parker led the league in steals this season, with 71, and she was the team's offensive leader in CAA play, averaging 11.8 points per game. She set career-high's in nearly every statistical category, including 102 assists ranking her sixth in the CAA.
Senior Jessica Canady and junior Shadasia Green were both named to the All-CAA Third Team. Canady missed five games during the non-conference season to rehab a knee injury, but bounced back by starting all CAA games and averaging 11.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in league action. She was second on the team in CAA-only scoring and led the team on the glass in CAA games. Green was the team's scoring leader for almost the entire season, piling up 16 double-digit scoring games for a team-best 11.4 points per game. She was a versatile option for the Lady Monarchs, playing four of the five positions on the floor and ranking second on the team in assists and steals and third on the team in rebounding. It is the third time Canady has earned a postseason honor and the first for Green.
ODU sophomore forward Mairi Buchan rounded out the honors for the Lady Monarchs, as she earned First Team All-Academic honors. Buchan is a Pre-Med Biology major and is tossing in 4.5 points per game off the bench.
2009-10 CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS
CAA Player of the Year: Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
CAA Coach of the Year: Wendy Larry, Old Dominion
CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Kita Waller, VCU
CAA Rookie of the Year: Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Dean Ehler's Leadership Awards: Brittany Graham, Georgia State & Gabriela Marginean, Drexel
All-CAA First Team
Shanae Baker-Brice, Towson
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Dawn Evans, James Madison
Gabriela Marginean, Drexel
D'Andra Moss, VCU
All-CAA Second Team
Shante Evans, Hofstra
Danyiell McKeller, Georgia State
Jasmine Parker, Old Dominion
Taysha Pye, William & Mary
Kita Waller, VCU
All-CAA Third Team
Brittany Blackwell, UNC Wilmington
Jessica Canady, Old Dominion
Shadasia Green, Old Dominion
Courtney Hurt, VCU
Brittany Wilson, Northeastern
All-Rookie Team
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Emily Correal, William & Mary
Amber Easter, George Mason
Shante Evans, Hofstra
Tarik Hislop, James Madison
All-Defensive Team
Tiffany Benson, William & Mary
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Jess Fuller, Hofstra
Jasmine Parker, Old Dominion
Kita Waller, VCU
All-Academic First Team
Mairi Buchan, Old Dominion
Marisa Crane, Drexel
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Angelee LaTouche, George Mason
Sarah Williams, James Madison
All-Academic Second Team
Candice Bellocchio, Hofstra
Nicole Capurso, Hofstra
Meghan McLean, Delaware
Kayla Miller, Delaware
Casey Sawhook, UNC Wilmington
All-Academic Honorable Mention
Robyn Barton, William & Mary
Sam Brigham, Hofstra
Taryn Christian, Northeastern
Brittany Eley, George Mason
Farrah Ferguson, Delaware
Kiara Francisco, James Madison
Tyler Hale, Drexel
Rashauna Hobbs, George Mason
Courtney Hurt, VCU
Dani Iervolino, Northeastern
Greta Luksyte, UNC Wilmington
Gabriela Marginean, Drexel
Mia Mayberry, Northeastern
Lindsey Moller, William & Mary
Shay Rawls, Georgia State
Jasmina Rosseel, Drexel
Haliena Snowden, Towson
Chelsea Snyder, VCU
Jennifer Stjarnström, Drexel
Jalissa Taylor, James Madison
Aamira Terry, Hofstra
Isoken Uzamere, Hofstra