State Women Hand Out End-Of-The-Year Awards At Banquet
STARKVILLE, Miss. ??“ The Mississippi State University women's basketball team celebrated its 2006-07 season on Monday night at the Hunter Henry Center on the MSU campus. Head Coach Sharon Fanning and the Lady Bulldog coaching staff handed out 10 awards to members of the squad and presented one Lady Bulldog Booster Club member with the team's Sixth Player Award.
State sophomore Marneshia Richard was honored with the Most Assists, Coaches and Best Defensive Player Awards. With her 125 assists on the year, Richard passed Tan White's 124 assists to own the sophomore single season record. She also set the single game assists record with 11 against South Carolina. In addition to dishing the ball, Richard was not afraid to take it away. Her seven steals against then-13th ranked Purdue tied the single game steals record. The Lamar, Miss.,-native also notched the first double-double of her career with 13 points and 11 assists against the Gamecocks.
State junior Imesia Jackson earned the teams Most Deflections and Field Goal Percentage Awards, while newcomers Tysheka Grimes (Most Improved), Alexis Rack (Free-Throw Percentage) and Bethany Washington (BestRebounder) were also named award-winners.
Jackson wrapped up her first year for the Lady Bulldogs posting three double-doubles. She tallied a career-high 12 rebounds in the WNIT win against Tulane and became a member of the 30-point scorers club when she netted 30 points against Florida State. Jackson scored in double figures 20 times during the season and ended the season averaging 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
Grimes joined Washington on the freshman single-game blocks list and all-time list with four rejections against Mississippi. The Baton Rouge, La.,-native scored a career high 28 points against South Carolina going11-for-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from behind the arc. She also netted back-to-back doubles on the year and became the first player since Tan White to accomplish the feat. She was once named SEC Freshman of the Week.
For her efforts throughout the season, Rack was named a unanimous selection to the 2006-07 Southeastern Conference all-Freshman Team. Rack also scored in double figures in 10 straight contests, becoming the first player since Tan White to do so. She scored her season-high 24 points against Georgia Tech in the championship game of the Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament. During the contest, Rack drained six three-pointers en route to being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week twice during the year.
A native of Houma, La., Washington recorded three double-doubles on the year and tied the freshman single game record with four blocks against Western Kentucky. She had her best outing of the season at Kentucky posting 16 points and 10 rebounds. For her performance in the game, she garnered SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors. On seven different occasions, Washington posted double figures in the rebounding column.
Sophomore Bethany Workman was honored for her off-the-court achievements with the Sonny Mullins Community Service Award and the Newsom Academic Award. The Springtown, Texas,-native was named to the Southeastern Conference's Community Service team for the second consecutive year. She participated in a mission trip to Kenya this past summer with World Changers International. She has also helped at the Starkville Church of God's Compassion Kitchen and with Bully's Book Blitz. Workman is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and MClub and participates in various other community service activities with both organizations. She is also a member of the Shackouls Honors College at MSU.
Presented annually, the Sixth Player Award honors those who go above and beyond. This year's honoree was Lady Bulldog Booster Club membership chair Steve Demarais.