I posted this over on BlueRaiderZone, but I thought I'd share with you guys my predictions for post-season awards.

COY
Rick Insell--CRI led the Lady Raiders to the conference title (shared at worst, outright if UALR loses to UNT) in a season everyone thought would be a rebuilding one. What he did with this squad after losing four 1,000 point scorers is far more impressive than what Joe Foley did with UALR which returned all but one starter from last year.

FOY
Ebony Rowe--No question about it. She's second in scoring, first in rebounding and second in FG%. No freshman has been this dominant since Crystal Kelly in 2004-05.

Newcomer of the Year (though the league didn't award this last year)
DeAngela Sword (Troy)

DPOY
Shanika Butler (UALR)--This is quite possibly the hardest award to pick. No player was THE dominant defensive force in the league. But Butler was the best defender on the league's #1 defense.

POY
Chastity Reed--This isn't the runaway that most people expected to start the season. Reed wasn't the dominating scorer that she was last year. But she still did enough to beat out Rowe.

1st Team
Ebony Rowe--Fr., F, MT--Lock
Chastity Reed--Sr., F, UALR--Lock
Kaetlyn Murdoch--Sr., F, Denver--Lock
Anne Marie Lanning--Sr., G, MT--AML is actually 3rd in scoring in league play.
Jerica Coley--Fr., G, FIU--Freshman dynamo for FIU was crucial in their ascension to 2nd in the East.

2nd Team
Brianna Culberson--Sr., F, Denver--5th in scoring and 7th in rebounding in league play despite no preseason selection.
Donette McNair--Sr., F, Troy--6th in scoring and 8th in rebounding in league play and was 3rd team preseason pick.
Sherina (Shay) Scott--Sr., F, ASU--15th in scoring and 3rd in rebounding and was 2nd team preseason selection.
Arnika Brown--Sr., F, W. KY--10th in scoring and 2nd in rebounding in league play and was 1st team preseason selection.
Denetra Kellum--Sr., G, NT--9th in scoring and 5th in rebounding in league play despite no preseason selection.

3rd Team
Mercedes Johnson--Jr., F, ULL--7th in scoring and 17th in rebounding and was 3rd team preseason.
Britteni Rice--Sr., G, Denver--11th in scoring and 2nd in 3pt % and was 3rd team preseason.
Icelyn Elie--So., F, MT--13th in scoring and 8th in rebounding despite no preseason pick.
Shania Hurst--Jr., G, ASU--Well rounded player who does it all.
Shanika Butler--Sr., G, UALR--Hard to quantify with stats but she has respect and was 2nd team preseason.

DeAngela Sword may unseat Hurst on the 3rd team. And Jasmine Godbolt (NT), Asriel Rolfe (UALR) and Amy McNear (W. Ky) all received preseason pub and have decent enough numbers that they may be included somewhere. But over who???

(03-01-2011 09:33 AM)Stephen Shirley Wrote:  I posted this over on BlueRaiderZone, but I thought I'd share with you guys my predictions for post-season awards.

COY
Rick Insell--CRI led the Lady Raiders to the conference title (shared at worst, outright if UALR loses to UNT) in a season everyone thought would be a rebuilding one. What he did with this squad after losing four 1,000 point scorers is far more impressive than what Joe Foley did with UALR which returned all but one starter from last year.

POY
Chastity Reed--This isn't the runaway that most people expected to start the season. Reed wasn't the dominating scorer that she was last year. But she still did enough to beat out Rowe.

I don't keep up with these things anywhere near as well as you do, so I really don't have an opinion on the players, but I believe without a doubt that Insell should be the COY with what he has accomplished in what was definitely a rebuilding year. Should be unanimous.

POY, I don't know. Chastity had a good year, but in many ways a disappointing year in my mind. Her shooting was definitely down this year. Don't know if her early season problems had something to do with this or not.

(03-01-2011 11:22 AM)LRTrojan Wrote:  I don't keep up with these things anywhere near as well as you do, so I really don't have an opinion on the players, but I believe without a doubt that Insell should be the COY with what he has accomplished in what was definitely a rebuilding year. Should be unanimous.

POY, I don't know. Chastity had a good year, but in many ways a disappointing year in my mind. Her shooting was definitely down this year. Don't know if her early season problems had something to do with this or not.

Insell for COY certainly wouldn't be unanimous. Foley is guaranteed one vote from a school 100 miles from Murfreesboro. And had UALR not lost to ASU, I think Foley may well have won the award.

Reed certainly isn't the runaway choice for POY that everyone expected coming into the season. But even in a "down" yer, she's 1st in scoring, 13th in rebounding, 13th in assists, 8th in steals and 4th in blocks. That's an impressive resume that only Rowe can really challenge.

Anne Marie Lanning is definitely my choice for Player of the Year.

If she's #30 for Western, she wins the best looking award hands down.

(03-02-2011 05:01 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  If she's #30 for Western, she wins the best looking award hands down.

Anne Marie Lanning wears #30. But she wears that number for Middle Tennessee, not W. Ky.

(03-02-2011 06:20 PM)Stephen Shirley Wrote:  

(03-02-2011 05:01 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  If she's #30 for Western, she wins the best looking award hands down.

Anne Marie Lanning wears #30. But she wears that number for Middle Tennessee, not W. Ky.

I think Outside just got his teams mixed up. Lanning makes my all-calender team as well.

(03-02-2011 06:20 PM)Stephen Shirley Wrote:  

(03-02-2011 05:01 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  If she's #30 for Western, she wins the best looking award hands down.

Anne Marie Lanning wears #30. But she wears that number for Middle Tennessee, not W. Ky.

I knew that!