Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Basketball Hands Out Postseason Awards
4/22/2010 10:43:40 AM | Women's Basketball
Eagles honor seniors Amanda Tretheway and Kayla Vantil
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball program put a wrap on its 2009-10 season Friday evening, April 9, with its annual awards banquet at Eagle Crest Golf Club. A total of 17 postseason team awards were handed out, with sophomore Tavelyn James (Detroit, Mich.-Mumford) collecting Most Valuable Player accolades.
Other award winners included junior Kristin Thomas (Winter Park, Fla.-Edgewater-Hillsborough C.C.) who received the MMOC Award (Meanest Mother on the Court) for her hustle and leadership on the floor. Junior Sydney Huntley (Cincinnati, Ohio-Purcell Marian) captured the Sixth Player Award for the second consecutive season, while senior Amanda Trethaway (San Francisco, Calif.-El Camino-Foothill C.C.) earned the Scholar Athlete award. Sophomore Paige Redditt (Belton, Mo.-Belton) also took home the Hustle Award.
For her leadership skills both on and off the court, junior Cassie Schrock (Wadsworth,Ohio- Wadsworth) picked up the Leadership Award. Freshman India Hairston (Flint, Mich.-Hamady) made great strides throughout the season en route to earning the Most Improved Award. Classmate Lindsey Mahone (Corpus Christi, Texas-Mary Carroll) earned the Best Defensive Player Award and junior De'Ja Wills (Anderson, Ind.-Anderson) was given the Coaches Award.
Statistical awards were distributed to Schrock for leading the team in steals (62) and assists (170). Wills garnered the Three-point Percentage Award with a 38 percent clip. James took the scoring award (20.7 ppg) and the free throw percentage award (80 percent) Thomas earned the rebounding award (6.7 rpg), freshman Chenise Miller (Oak Park, Mich.-West Bloomfield) collected the blocks trophy (34) and Redditt closed out the statistical awards with the Field Goal Percentage Award at 45 percent.
It was a magical 2009-10 campaign for the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team, as the Eagles finished with a 22-9 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play. Coming off a rebuilding 2008-09 campaign that saw the Eagles win just eight games, third-year head coach AnnMarie Gilbert guided a relatively young squad, with just two seniors, and nine freshmen and sophomores to one of the nation's biggest turnarounds.
The Eagles became the first MAC women's basketball program to post a 20-win season following a year in which the team won less than 10 games. EMU also finished just one victory shy of equalling the 1985-86 Ohio University squad for the biggest single-season turnaround in league history. That Bobcat crew won 26 games after posting just 11 victories during the entire 1984-85 campaign.
James posted one the of best offensive seasons in not only Eastern Michigan history but in Mid-American Conference history, as well. The Detroit native finished the year at 20.7 points per game, making 220 of her 550 shots from the floor, to become the first EMU player since Sharon Brown in 1985-86 to average more than 20 points per contest.
A 2010 First Team All-MAC selection, James moved atop the all-time scoring rankings among sophomores in league history. Ohio's Caroline Mast previously held down the league's sophomore standard of 635 points during the 1983-84. The 641 points also rank ninth most by a student-athlete in a single season according to the conference record book. Additionally, James shattered both the EMU single-season record for points in a season and the sophomore scoring standard.
Her 86 three-pointers made and 257 three-pointers attempted were also an EMU single-season records and rank fifth and second, respectively, for a single year in the MAC annals.
