LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Kentucky?s Mickie DeMoss, who in just three years as head coach has piloted the women?s basketball program to a season of remarkable firsts, earned the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year award voted on by the league?s 12 coaches.
DeMoss has brought the Wildcats (20-7, 9-5 SEC) from winning a combined 20 games in the two years prior to her arrival in 2003, to a record-breaking regular season that includes the most wins (20) in seven years, the most Southeastern Conference wins in school history (nine), and the highest conference finish (fourth) in 23 years. What?s more impressive is that DeMoss has done with it with a team comprised of nine freshmen and sophomores and just one senior.
?It?s an honor to be recognized by your peers for your hard work and accomplishments, but it all boils down to the players buying into what you want them to do,? DeMoss said. ?You can know all the basketball in the world, but if your team can?t commit to play hard and play together, then all that basketball doesn?t mean much. It always boils down to the people who are working under you and for you. I have to give my players and support staff and everybody a lot of credit.?
This is the first Coach of the Year honor in UK Hoops history.
DeMoss brings her Wildcats to North Little Rock, Ark., looking for another first – the Wildcats? first SEC Tournament title since 1982.
With a convincing 80-60 win over Alabama on Sunday, Kentucky secured a No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament and will meet the winner of Florida (No. 5 seed) and Mississippi State (No. 12 seed) on Friday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Two Wildcats Earn Postseason Honors
Sophomore Kentucky guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) and freshman point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) were named to the All-Southeastern Conference team for the 2005-06 season, the league office in Birmingham, Ala., announced Tuesday. Mahoney was named to the second team, while Ormerod was named to the all-freshman team.
Mahoney, a preseason All-SEC selection, has played in each of Kentucky?s 27 games this season with 23 starts. The Motor City native is the leading scorer for the Wildcats, averaging 11.9 points per game, which currently ranks 15th in the SEC in scoring (all games) and 13th in scoring with 12.1 ppg in league games only. Mahoney has scored in double figures 21 times this season, including seven consecutive. She is the 11th player in UK history to be placed on the All-SEC second team.
?Sam has really been steady for us this season, especially late in this conference run,? DeMoss said. ?Sam is a very gifted player and after a great freshman season we looked for her to step up as one of our leaders. She has done a great job of accepting that role and she certainly deserves this honor.?
Ormerod has started at point guard in all 27 games this season. She ranks in the top 12 of five SEC statistical categories, including seventh in three-point shooting percentage (41.7). She is fourth on the team in scoring with 10.1 points per game (all games) and averages 11.2 ppg, ranking second on the team, in SEC games only. She has dished out a team-high 89 assists for 10th in the league and her assist/turnover ratio also ranks 10th. Ormerod is one of just two freshmen in the SEC (DeWanna Bonner at Auburn) to average over 30 minutes of action per game. Ormerod has twice been named the SEC Freshman of the Week in helping lead the Wildcats to their first 20-win season in seven years.
?Carly has just been phenomenal,? DeMoss said. ?She has made a difference for this team. You talk about difference-makers and she really has been a difference-maker. She has matured very quickly. She learned quickly and just takes a lot of pride in her game. She has been huge for us all year.?
UK has placed a rookie on the All-Freshman squad six previous times, including back-to-back seasons. Mahoney and Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) were honored with the award last year.
The complete 2006 SEC Women’s Basketball Postseason Awards follow.
First-Team All-SEC Pos Ht Cl Hometown Seimone Augustus (LSU)* G 6-1 Sr. Baton Rouge, La. Sylvia Fowles (LSU)* C 6-5 So. Miami, Fla. Tasha Humphrey (UGA)* F 6-3 So. Gainesville, Ga. Sherill Baker (UGA)* G 5-8 Sr. Stone Mountain, Ga. Candace Parker (UT) F 6-3 R-Fr. Naperville, Ill. Armintie Price (Ole Miss) G 5-9 Jr. Blue Mountain, Miss. Dalila Eshe (UF) F 6-3 Sr. Chattahoochee, Fla. Shanna Zolman (UT) G 5-10 Sr. Syracuse, Ind. Dee Davis (VU) G 5-7 Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio Second-Team All-SEC Pos Ht Cl Hometown Samantha Mahoney (UK) G 5-10 So. Detroit, Mich. Cori Chambers (UGA) G 5-9 Jr. Elmsford, N.Y. Scholanda Hoston (LSU) G 5-10 Sr. Miami, Fla. Sha Brooks (UF) G 5-7 Fr. Jackson, Tenn. Caroline Williams (VU) G 5-10 Jr. Rockmart, Ga. Nevonda Moore (ALA) G/F 5-10 Jr. Jackson, Miss. Melanie Johnson (USC) F 6-2 Jr. Barnwell, S.C. Marita Payne (AU) C 6-5 Sr. Melbourne, Australia Alexis Hornbuckle (UT) G 5-11 So. Charleston, W.Va. All-SEC Freshman Team Pos Ht Cl Hometown DeWanna Bonner (AU) G 6-4 Fr. Fairfield, Ala. KeKe Carrier (AU) C 6-7 Fr. Lake Charles, La. Sha Brooks (UF) G 5-7 Fr. Jackson, Tenn. Marshae Dotson (UF) F 5-11 Fr. Columbus, Ohio Carly Ormerod (UK) G 5-8 Fr. Louisville, Ky. Robin Porter (MSU) G/F 5-11 Fr. Abbeville, Ala. Demetress Adams (USC) C 6-3 Fr. Bishopville, S.C. Candace Parker (UT) F 6-3 R-Fr. Naperville, Ill.
Coach of the Year: Mickie DeMoss, Kentucky
Player of the Year: Seimone Augustus, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Candace Parker, Tennessee
Defensive Player of the Year: Sherill Baker, Georgia
6th Woman of the Year: Liz Sherwood, Vanderbilt
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Sarah Lowe, Florida
