Cards' McCoughtry Named BIG EAST Player of the Year
March 02, 2007 | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2007
HARTFORD, Conn. - University of Louisville sophomore forward Angel McCoughtry was named BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year, while senior forward Jazz Covington earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention during the annual awards banquet prior to the upcoming 2007 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Championship.
McCoughtry garners Player of the Year honors after leading the league all season in scoring and rebounding. She becomes the second player overall and first since Georgetown's Rebekkah Brunson (2003-04) to lead the league in both categories. The Baltimore, Md. native has averages of 22.4 points and 10.9 rebounds through 30 overall games, while in 16 league contests, McCoughtry is outputting 23.3 points and 11.3 boards per game. She has been ranked in the top 10 nationally in both categories throughout the year. McCoughtry also is first in the league in steals with 3.63 per game and in double-doubles with 18. She also ranks fourth in the nation and in scoring and fourth in the nation in steals.A three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week, the forward is a candidate for the Naismith and Wooden Awards. For just the fourth time in 25 years, a sophomore has earned the Conference Player of the Year award.
Overall, players from six different schools earned the seven women's basketball major awards for the BIG EAST Conference. Conference awards are based on a vote by the league's 16 head coaches. For the second straight year, Rutgers junior guard Essence Carson has been selected as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Pittsburgh sophomore guard Shavonte Zellous garners Most Improved Player accolades, while Connecticut center Tina Charles is the Freshman of the Year. Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell was selected as Coach of the Year. Taking home two honors is DePaul senior guard Jenna Rubino, who was picked for the Sportsmanship Award, as well as the BIG EAST/Aéropostale Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Covington has earned all-conference honors all four seasons of her career with the Cardinals. She ranks as the Cardinals' leading rebounder and second leading scorer in school history. She ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
For the third straight year, a Scarlet Knight has been tabbed as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. A guard, Carson averaged 7.0 rebounds while dominating the defensive boards, grabbing 90 through 16 conference games. Her totals are up from a year ago, when she averaged 4.1 rebounds, including 51 defensive grabs. The Paterson, N.J. native was recently named to the final list of 30 for the Naismith Award. Carson and the Scarlet Knights are ranked first in the league in scoring defense, limiting their opponents to 50.2 points per game. They also stand first in blocked shots (6.06 per game), second in field goal percentage defense (33.9 percent), third in rebounding defense (34.5) and fourth in both 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.3 percent) and turnover margin (+2.75).
Zellous was picked as Most Improved Player and earns the first major award for Pittsburgh since in 1999-2000. The sophomore guard has almost tripled her scoring output from last season, averaging 19.0 points and has played in 36.9 minutes per game. Currently third in the BIG EAST in scoring, Zellous also ranks fourth in minutes played (36.9), while a year ago she averaged just 6.9 points and 27.6 minutes in 16 league contests. She has scored in double figures in all but one conference contest and has tallied seven 20-point plus games.
For the second straight season, a Connecticut player earns Freshman of the Year honors. Charles has had a dominant rookie season within league play, ranking first in field goal percentage (62.5), second in rebounding (10.0 per game), third in blocked shots (2.69 per game), all while averaging 14.9 points per game. Charles has been in double figures in 13 games, including a 34-point effort against USF when UConn clinched the BIG EAST regular-season title on Feb. 20. The Jamaica, N.Y. native was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week six times, one shy of tying the all-time single-season record set by former Husky Rebecca Lobo in 1991-92.
In her 11th season as head coach at Marquette, Mitchell earns Coach of the Year accolades for the first time as a member of the BIG EAST. The Golden Eagles (24-5) clinched a first-round bye and the No. 3 seed in the 2007 championship after finishing the regular season tied for second with a 12-4 mark. After being picked eighth in the preseason coaches' poll, Marquette opened the season winning 15 of its first 16 games and jumped into the national rankings on Dec. 10. The Golden Eagles have been ranked as high as No. 16 in the Associated Press poll and No. 17 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
A member of the DePaul women's basketball team since 2003, Rubino has been an exemplary student-athlete on and off the court in her four-year career. The Mokena, Ill. native earns the first major award for the Blue Demons since joining the league a year ago. On the court, Rubino is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points, second in steals with 43 and third in assists with 74. The Blue Demon captain will finish her career as the only player in school history with 1,200 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 150 3-pointers. Off the court, Rubino stays active in the community and is a solid student in the classroom, as she also was named the BIG EAST/Aéropostale Scholar-Athlete. During her tenure at DePaul, Rubino has raised money for the Misericordia Heart of Mercy Homes, is an active member of the DPU Captains Counsel where she participates in its drive to feed the hungry. For the last four years she has been involved in the "Shoot for the Cure 3-on-3" event that benefits the Leukemia Foundation. Over the summer months, the senior guard spends time volunteering at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Leadership Camp, mentoring teenage girls and she also returns home to her former middle and high schools to assist with the summer sports camps. Most recently she helped at the Dwyane Wade Basketball Camp, a group that allows 1,000 kids from all economical backgrounds to attend the camp for free.
The 11-member All-BIG EAST First Team has student-athletes from eight different schools. Pittsburgh, Marquette and Rutgers each have two players on the first team. Hailing from Pittsburgh is junior center Marcedes Walker, who is joined by Zellous. Rutgers' Carson, along with her teammate, sophomore center Kia Vaughn, and Marquette sophomore guard Krystal Ellis and senior forward Christina Quaye were all honored. Also named were McCoughtry, together with Notre Dame junior guard Charel Allen, USF senior forward Jessica Dickson, Connecticut sophomore guard Renee Montgomery and West Virginia junior center Olayinka Sanni.
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Angel McCoughtry, Louisville (So., F, Baltimore, Md.)
BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Tina Charles, Connecticut (Fr., C, Jamaica, N.Y.)
BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR - Terri Mitchell, Marquette (11th season)
BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Essence Carson, Rutgers (Jr., G, Paterson, N.J.)
BIG EAST MOST IMPROVED PLAYER - Shavonte Zellous, Pittsburgh (So., G, Orlando, Fla.)
BIG EAST SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD - Jenna Rubino, DePaul (Sr., G, Mokena, Ill.)
BIG EAST/AÉROPOSTALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE - Jenna Rubino, DePaul (Sr., G, Mokena, Ill.)
| ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Class | Position | Hometown |
| Charel Allen | Notre Dame | Jr. | G | Monessen, Pa. |
| Essence Carson | Rutgers | Jr. | G | Paterson, N.J. |
| Jessica Dickson | USF | Sr. | F | Ocala, Fla. |
| Krystal Ellis | Marquette | So. | G | Racine, Wis. |
| Angel McCoughtry | Louisville | So. | F | Baltimore, Md. |
| Renee Montgomery | Connecticut | So. | G | St. Albans, W.Va. |
| Christina Quaye | Marquette | Sr. | F | Chicago, Ill. |
| Olayinka Sanni | West Virginia | Jr. | C | Chicago Heights, Ill. |
| Kia Vaughn | Rutgers | So. | C | Bronx, N.Y. |
| Marcedes Walker | Pittsburgh | Jr. | C | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Shavonte Zellous | Pittsburgh | So. | G | Orlando, Fla. |
| ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM | ||||
| Name | School | Class | Position | Hometown |
| Matee Ajavon | Rutgers | Jr. | G | Newark, N.J. |
| Tina Charles | Connecticut | Fr. | C | Jamaica, N.Y. |
| Shantia Grace | USF | So. | G | Sarasota, Fla. |
| Kalana Greene | Connecticut | So. | G | Saint Stephens, S.C. |
| Charde Houston | Connecticut | Jr. | F | San Diego, Calif. |
| Chelsea Marandola | Providence | So. | G | Johnston, R.I. |
| Kieraah Marlow | Georgetown | Jr. | F | Coatesville, Pa. |
| LaQuita Owens | West Virginia | Jr. | G | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Allie Quigley | DePaul | Jr. | G | Joliet, Ill. |
| Kia Wright | St. John's | R-Jr. | G | Copiague, N.Y. |
| HONORABLE MENTION | ||||
| Name | School | Class | Position | Hometown |
| Chakhia Cole | West Virginia | Jr. | F | Marlboro, N.J. |
| Jazz Covington | Louisville | Sr. | C | Adel, Ga. |
| Monique McLean | St. John's | So. | G | Newport News, Va. |
| Nicole Michael | Syracuse | Fr. | G/F | Queens, N.Y. |
| Elizbieta Mukosiej | Seton Hall | Jr. | G | Bilystok, Poland |
| Caprice Smith | DePaul | Jr. | F | Maywood, Ill. |
| ALL-BIG EAST FRESHMAN TEAM^ | ||||
| Name | School | Class | Position | Hometown |
| Ashley Barlow | Notre Dame | Fr. | G | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Tina Charles | Connecticut | Fr. | C | Jamaica, N.Y. |
| Kendria Holmes | Providence | Fr. | G | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Carla Jacobs | Cincinnati | Fr. | G | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Melissa Lechlitner | Notre Dame | Fr. | G | Mishawaka, Ind. |
| Kaili McLaren | Connecticut | Fr. | F | Washington, D.C. |
| Nicole Michael | Syracuse | Fr. | G/F | Queens, N.Y. |
| Epiphanny Prince | Rutgers | Fr. | G | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Brittany Ray | Rutgers | Fr. | G | Bronx, N.Y. |
| Jania Sims | Pittsburgh | Fr. | G | Newark, N.J. |
| Erica Williamson | Notre Dame | Fr. | C | Charlotte, N.C. |
| ^ - An extra member has been added to the All-Freshman Team due to a tie in voting | ||||
