MEAC Announces Women's Basketball All-Conference Honors

NORFOLK, Va. -  Hampton senior forward Keiara Avant was named the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year as announced by the conference on Sunday. North Carolina A&T's Eboni Ross was selected as Rookie of the Year and Hampton's Alyssa Bennett garnered the Defensive Player of the Year honor. Hampton Head Coach David Six was named the MEAC Coach of the Year.

 

All awards are voted on by the conference's head women's basketball coaches and sports information directors.

Avant averaged a double-double of 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds to aid her team to an unblemished 16-0 mark in MEAC play and 25-5 mark overall. She led the MEAC in rebounding and was fifth in the conference in scoring and field goal percentage (.470). Avant shot 75-percent from the charity stripe (143-190) and tallied eight blocks and 75 steals during the regular season. Nationally, Avant ranked ninth in the nation with 19 double-doubles.

Ross led the MEAC with a .512 field goal percentage (87-of-170) and was second in the conference with 1.7 blocks per game. The rookie led her team in offensive rebounds (62) and blocks (50) while averaging 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds. Ross shot 51-percent in free-throws, grabbed 29 steals and had two double-doubles to help the Lady Aggies to a 13-3 conference record and 21-8 overall record.

Bennett recorded four double-doubles this season, averaging 6.6 rebounds and 9.9 points per game. Her defensive efforts totaled 35 blocks and 49 steals in 28 games for the Lady Pirates. The junior tallied 10 or more rebounds six times during the season as Hampton went 16-0 in conference play and 25-5 overall.

Six earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Hampton Lady Pirates to a unblemished 16-0 record in conference play and 25-5 record overall. It was the fifth time in conference history that a women's basketball team has gone undefeated in MEAC play and the first time since Coppin State went 18-0 in the 2006-07 season. Under his helm, Lady Pirates closed out their season with a 16-game win streak. Hampton led the conference in scoring (64.3), rebounding (38.3), blocked shots (4.7) and assists (13.1).

Avant is joined on the 2013 All-MEAC First Team by teammate Nicole Hamilton, Florida A&M's Jasmine Grice, North Carolina A&T's JaQuayla Berry and Howard's Saadia Doyle.

The three-time defending MEAC champion Hampton Lady Pirates clinched the MEAC regular-season title with an 51-30 win over North Carolina Central. The Lady Pirates will enter the tournament as the number one seed and will face the winner of the No. 8/No. 9 matchup on Wednesday, March 13 at Noon.

The 2013 regular season champion, regular-season runners-up, first-team members and top honorees including Player, Rookie, Defensive and Coach of the Year selections, will be recognized in pre-game presentations prior to their first games of the 2013 MEAC Basketball Tournament.

 

Tournament play tips-off March 11-16 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

Coach of the Year: David Six, Hampton University
Player of the Year: Keiara Avant, Hampton University
Rookie of the Year: Eboni Ross, North Carolina A&T State University
Defensive Player of the Year: Alyssa Bennett, Hampton University

 

 

2013 All-MEAC Women's Basketball Honors

 

 

FIRST TEAM

Name School Pos Ht. Cl. Hometown

Jasmine Grice Florida A&M G 5-9 Jr. Quincy, Fla.

Nicole Hamilton Hampton G 5-8 Jr. Hampton, Va.

JaQuayla Berry North Carolina A&T G/F 5-11 Sr. Douglas, Ga.

Saadia Doyle Howard F 5-10 Sr. Atlanta, Ga.

Keiara Avant Hampton F 5-11 Sr. Chesapeake, Va.

 

SECOND TEAM

Name School Pos Ht. Cl. Hometown

Bianca Jarrett Morgan State G 5-5 Sr. Kenosha, Wis.

Tiarra Knotts South Carolina State G 5-4 Sr. Columbia, S.C.

Alyssa Bennett Hampton F 6-2 Jr. Hampton, Va.

Tierra Hawkins Delaware State G/F 6-2 r-So. Clinton, Md.

Rachel Gordon Norfolk State F Jr. Woodbridge,Va.

THIRD TEAM

Name School Pos Ht. Cl. Hometown

Leola Spotwood Coppin State F 6-0 Sr. Trenton, NJ

Cheyenne Curley-Payne Howard G 5-4 Sr. San Diego, Calif.

Amber Calvin North Carolina A&T G 5-8 r-Jr. Fayetteville, N.C.

Erin Hogue Savannah State F 5-11 Sr. Birmingham, Ala.

Trinese Fox South Carolina State G 5-9 Sr. Suffolk, Va.

 

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Name School Pos Ht. Cl. Hometown

Ashley Claybrooks Maryland E. Shore F 6-0 Fr. Manassas,Va.

Alexis Udoji Maryland E. Shore F/C 6-4 Fr. Randolph, Mass.

Eboni Ross North Carolina A&T F/C 6-2 r-Fr. Columbia, S.C.

Tisha Dixon N.C. Central F 5-11 Fr. Kinston, N.C.

Amber Neely N.C. Central G 5-5 Fr. Charlotte, N.C.

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS