Covington Named Preseason All-BIG EAST
October 26, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 26, 2006
NEW YORK - University of Louisville senior Jazz Covington was one of three unanimous selections to the 10-player Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by the leagues' 16 head coaches announced during Thursday's BIG EAST Women's Basketball Media Day activities in New York City.
University of South Florida All-America candidate Jessica Dickson was selected as the 2006-07 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own players. Connecticut rookie Tina Charles was named the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Dickson, a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, headlines a 10-person Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, in addition to three Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention members.
A senior forward from Ocolo, Fla., Dickson led USF to a 19-12 overall record and a 9-7 mark in league play in the team's first year in the BIG EAST in 2005-06. Dickson averaged a team-high 22.0 points per game and led the nation in scoring for 11 of 17 weeks during the season. She had 30 double-digit scoring efforts in 31 games played, including 18 games with 20 or more points. Dickson hit 42.0 percent from the field and 86.5 percent from the foul line.
She also comes into the 2006-07 campaign with 1,755 career points and is just 66 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in school history.
Dickson is one of six returnees this season from the 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team. She has been named to the State Farm Wade Trophy list, for the award given to the Division I National Player of the Year. Dickson also has been tabbed a Street & Smith Magazine Honorable Mention All-American in the publication's college basketball yearbook.
Charles, from Jamaica, N.Y., is a center from Christ the King High School in New York City. The consensus national high school player of the year, she led the Royals to back-to-back national championships during her junior and senior prep seasons. Charles totaled 1,750 points, 1,224 rebounds, 440 assists and 432 blocks in three varsity seasons. She also is a member of the 2006 USA Basketball U-18 National Team.
St. John's junior guard Kia Wright, also a member of the preseason all-league team, helped lead the Red Storm to one of their most successful seasons in school history in 2005-06. A unanimous selection to the preseason team, Wright was named to the 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team. She led the Red Storm in scoring (14.8 ppg), assists (4.5 apg) and steals (2.5 spg).
Wright is joined by teammate Angela Clark on the preseason team. A senior forward, Clark also was a 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team member. She led the team in blocked shots with 32 and was second on the team with 13.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
A senior All-America candidate, Louisville's Jazz Covington, is the third unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The center finished her junior season averaging 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, as well as 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in BIG EAST play. Covington earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors last season, and is a candidate for the 2007 State Farm Wade Trophy.
Rutgers' juniors Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson are both members of the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Ajavon averaged 12.6 points per game and had a team-high 144 assists, which was fifth in the league. The guard also was tops in the conference with 84 steals, 2.6 per game. Ajavon was a member of the 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team, while Carson was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and a second team member. Carson averaged 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Connecticut's Renee Montgomery, returns for her sophomore year ready to lead a young Husky squad, as she was named to the 2006-07 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The guard broke out during conference play, averaging 12.0 points and tallying 25 steals and 48 assists in 16 league games.
Named to the All-BIG EAST First Team a year ago, Pittsburgh's Marcedes Walker led the Panthers in scoring with 16.8 points per contest and rebounding with 9.1 boards per game, while also topping the stats column with 36 blocked shots and 49 steals. In 16 league games played, the junior center averaged a double-double with 17.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Joining Walker on the preseason all-league team is senior teammate Mallorie Winn. In her first year with the Panthers, the guard was second in scoring with 15.8 points per game, while adding a team-leading 131 assists. Winn was a 2005-06 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection.
Marquette senior forward Christina Quaye and DePaul junior guard Allie Quigley were also second-team performers in 2005-06. In her first season in the BIG EAST, Quaye led the Golden Eagles with 13.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Quigley was second on the team in scoring (15.0) points per game to go along with 107 assists.
Also being honored are Connecticut's Charde Houston, Cincinnati's Treasure Humphries and Rutgers' Kia Vaughn, all who were named Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention. Houston helped the Huskies to an Elite Eight appearance by averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Humphries led the Bearcats with 12.8 points per game, and had 104 assists and 71 steals. Vaughn was the league-leader with 2.06 blocked shots in 16 conference games played, while averaging 6.3 points and 7.0 rebounds overall.
2006-07 Preseason Player of the Year
Jessica Dickson, Sr., F, USF
2006-07 Preseason Freshman of the Year
Tina Charles, Fr., C, Connecticut (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King)
2006-07 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Matee Ajavon, Jr., G, Rutgers
Essence Carson, Jr., G/F, Rutgers
Angela Clark, Sr., F, St. John's
*Jazz Covington, Sr., C, Louisville
*Jessica Dickson, Sr., F, USF
Renee Montgomery, So., G, Connecticut
Christina Quaye, Sr., F, Marquette
Allie Quigley, Jr., G, DePaul
Marcedes Walker, Jr., C, Pittsburgh
Mallorie Winn, R-Sr., G, Pittsburgh
*Kia Wright, R-Jr., G, St. John's
*unanimous selection
2006-07 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Charde Houston, Jr., F, Connecticut
Treasure Humphries, Sr., G, Cincinnati
Kia Vaughn, So., C, Rutgers
