March 3, 2006
DALLAS - The awards have begun to trickle in for the Mizzou women's basketball team, as senior guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) led four Tigers on the All-Big 12 teams as voted on by the league's coaches and announced by conference officials today.
Bond was chosen to the All-Big 12 First Team, marking the third time in the last six seasons that a Tiger has made the elite squad. She joins Amanda Lassiter (2001) and Evan Unrau (2003-04) among that exclusive group. It is the first All-Big 12 honor for Bond, who leads Mizzou and is fifth in the league in scoring (17.5 ppg). She is ranked among the league's leaders in seven other categories, and is in the top five in four (scoring, steals [3rd, 2.04 spg]; free-throw percentage [3rd, 82.9 percent] and 3-point percentage [5th, 39.3 percent]).
Senior center Christelle N'Garsanet (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire / Illinois Central College) was named to the Second Team, earning All-Big 12 accolades for the second straight year after being named Honorable Mention a season ago. N'Garsanet was fifth in the Big 12 with 13 double-doubles, including eight in the final 10 games of the season. She was third in the league with nine double-doubles in the conference portion of the schedule, behind only First-Teamers LaToya Davis of Texas Tech and Oklahoma's Courtney Paris. She leads the Tigers in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and is second on the team in scoring (13.8 ppg).
Junior forward Carlynn Savant (Euless, Texas / Trinity HS) earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention plaudits after leading the league, and briefly the entire NCAA, in 3-point shooting this season. Savant is Mizzou's third-leading scorer at 10.3 ppg.
In addition, beginning this year the Big 12 has released All-Rookie and All-Defensive Teams; Bond and junior forward EeTisha Riddle (O'Fallon, Ill. / O'Fallon HS) were named to the All-Defensive Team. As stated before, Bond ranked third in the league in steals, while Riddle was handed Mizzou's toughest defensive assignments - sometimes on the perimeter - throughout the season.
The honors for Bond, N'Garsanet and Savant mark the first time since 1993 that Mizzou has placed three players on the all-conference teams, when Vantrece Williams, Lynette Linneman (both second team) and Stacy Williams (honorable mention) made the All-Big Eight squad. It is also the 10th straight year that Mizzou has had two or more players honored. Adding Riddle in marks the first time four Tigers have been recognized for all-conference honors since Lorraine Ferret (first team), Joni Davis (second team), Mary Bruggestrass and Melissa McFerrin (honorable mention) were tabbed All-Big Eight back in 1983.
The Tigers are continuing preparation for the 2006 Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Championship. Mizzou leaves for Dallas Monday afternoon, and will hold a closed practice there on Tuesday. The fourth-seeded Tigers will then open play on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. against the winner of Tuesday's first-round matchup between No. 5 seed Texas Tech and No. 12 Oklahoma State.
For guiding her team through an unprecedented undefeated conference season, Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale was named Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, while Baylor senior Sophia Young was selected as Big 12 Player of the Year. Oklahoma State's Whitney Pegram was selected Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, while Oklahoma sensation Courtney Paris was tabbed Freshman of the Year.
2005-06 All-Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Team
|
First Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player |
School |
Pos |
Ht |
Cl |
Hometown |
|
Sophia Young |
Baylor |
F |
6-1 |
Sr. |
St. Vincent, The Grenadines |
|
Lyndsey Medders |
Iowa State |
G |
5-9 |
Jr. |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
|
Crystal Kemp |
Kansas |
F |
6-2 |
Sr. |
Topeka, Kan. |
|
MIZZOU |
G |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Urbana, Ill. | |
|
Kiera Hardy |
Nebraska |
G |
5-6 |
Jr. |
Kansas City, Mo. |
|
Courtney Paris |
Oklahoma |
C |
6-4 |
Fr. |
Piedmont, Calif. |
|
Tiffany Jackson |
Texas |
F |
6-3 |
Jr. |
Dallas, Texas |
|
Morenike Atunrase |
Texas A&M |
G/F |
5-10 |
So. |
Shreverport, La. |
|
LaToya Davis |
Texas Tech |
F/C |
6-1 |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
Erin Grant |
Texas Tech |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Arlington, Texas |
|
Second Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player |
School |
Pos |
Ht |
Cl |
Hometown |
|
Angela Tisdale |
Baylor |
G |
5-5 |
So. |
Austin, Texas |
|
Jackie McFarland |
Colorado |
F |
6-3 |
So. |
Derby, Kan. |
|
Claire Coggins |
Kansas State |
G/F |
5-11 |
Jr. |
Lee's Summit, Mo. |
|
MIZZOU |
C |
6-3 |
Sr. |
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Africa | |
|
Leah Rush |
Oklahoma |
F |
6-1 |
Jr. |
Amarillo, Texas |
|
Nina Norman |
Texas |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
Honorable Mention
Abiola Wabara and Chameka Scott (Baylor), Erica Hallman (Kansas), Brittany Wilkins (Iowa State), Carlynn Savant (MIZZOU), Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska), Erin Higgins, Chelsi Welch and Britney Brown (Oklahoma), Whitney Pegram (Oklahoma State), A'Quonesia Franklin (Texas A&M), Alesha Robertson (Texas Tech)
|
All-Defensive Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player |
School |
Pos |
Ht |
Cl |
Hometown |
|
Abiola Wabara |
Baylor |
F |
6-0 |
Jr. |
Parma, Italy |
|
Sophia Young |
Baylor |
F |
6-1 |
Sr. |
St. Vincent, The Grenadines |
|
MIZZOU |
F |
6-3 |
Jr. |
O'Fallon, Ill. | |
|
MIZZOU |
G |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Urbana, Ill. | |
|
Courtney Paris |
Oklahoma |
C |
6-4 |
Fr. |
Piedmont, Calif. |
|
All-Rookie Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player |
School |
Pos |
Ht |
Cl |
Hometown |
|
Marlies Gipson |
Kansas State |
F |
6-0 |
Fr. |
McPherson, Kan. |
|
Kelsey Griffin |
Nebraska |
F |
6-2 |
Fr. |
Eagle River, Alaska |
|
Courtney Paris |
Oklahoma |
C |
6-4 |
Fr. |
Piedmont, Calif. |
|
Takia Starks |
Texas A&M |
G |
5-8 |
Fr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
Erika Arriaran |
Texas |
G |
5-10 |
Fr. |
Norco, Calif. |
Player of Year: Sophia Young (Baylor)
Newcomer of Year: Whitney Pegram (Oklahoma State)
Freshman of Year: Courtney Paris (Oklahoma)
Defensive Player of Year (tie): Abiola Wabara (Baylor), Courtney Paris (Oklahoma)
Coach of Year: Sherri Coale (Oklahoma)