April 22, 2002
Lexington, Ky. – Sophomore SeSe Helm and junior Rita Adams took home the hardware at the annual Kentucky women’s basketball banquet hosted by the UK Victory Club at the Hilton Suites of Lexington Green on Saturday.
Helm received the Leading Scorer and Leading Rebounder awards, averaging a team-high 17.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection also was honored with the Top Cat Award after leading the team in free-throw percentage (80.0) and field-goal shooting percentage (51.0). She scored in double figures 27 of 29 games and had 10 games with 20-plus points. She totaled her 600th career-point in her 42nd game as a Wildcat, the second fastest player to accomplish the feat at UK. Helm now has 786 points in two seasons.
Adams was honored with the Leading Assist, the Best Defender and the Iron Woman awards after an impressive junior season which saw her lead the SEC in steals (3.59) and rank 11th nationally. She ended the season with 104 total steals, tying the school record for most steals in a season held by current assistant coach Leslie Nichols. Adams ranked second on the team in scoring (11.0), and standing at only 5-6, was the team’s leading shot blocker for the second straight season (17). She also ranked fourth in the SEC in assists with 5.59 per game.
Receiving the team’s Hustle Award was senior LaTonya McDole. The 6-2 forward started in all 29 games and was the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 8.1 points per game. She ranked second on the team in three categories: rebounding (5.8), steals (2.4) and assists (2.0). She ended her four-year career at Kentucky with 1,180 career points, No. 12 on UK’s career scoring list. She totaled 243 steals for No. 5 on the career charts and pulled down 711 rebounds which ranks sixth on UK’s career rebounding list.
The Most Improved Award was given to sophomore Shambrica Jones. She was the Cats’ biggest surprise of the season, averaging 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. After earning a starting position late in the year, Jones became a key factor for the Wildcats. She scored in double figures seven times, including four of the last six games, and drained a season- and career-high 18 points in UK’s upset win over Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Freshman sharp shooter Sara Potts was honored with the Three-Point Shooting Award. Despite a nagging stress reaction in her foot all season, Potts finished third on the team in scoring (8.5 ppg) and shot 50-of-147 (34.0%) from behind the arc to lead the Cats in three-point shooting percentage. The southpaw hit a career-high four treys four times and drained a three-pointer in 22 of 28 games played. She also finished fifth in the SEC in three-pointers made per game (1.79), one of three freshmen to rank in the top 10 in that category.
The team’s academic award was presented to sophomore Kristin Connolly for the secondstraight year. Connolly was named to the Dean’s List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in the fall semester after maintaining a 3.7 grade-point average. She is undecided on a major.
The entire 2002 Wildcats, consisting of two freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors, and two seniors, were awarded a plaque by Coach Bernadette Mattox for their hard work and dedication throughout the season. The Cats finished the year with a 9-20 overall record, 1-13 in the SEC. UK advanced to the second round of the SEC Tournament and Helm, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman team last season, was named to the All-SEC second team.
