April 24, 2007
2007 WBB Big 5 Awards
Download Free Acrobat Reader
PHILADELPHIA - At its annual banquet Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Big 5 announced its postseason awards and the La Salle University Women's Basketball Team was well represented.
Head Coach Tom Lochner picked up the Coach of the Year honor, while Crista Ricketts and Carlene Hightower became the first-ever La Salle teammates to both be named to the All-Big 5 First Team. Jenna Graber added the Sportsmanship Award and was also named to the Big 5 All-Academic Team.
Lochner, in just his third season at the helm, guided the Explorers to one of its best season in the last 10 years. La Salle started 7-0 for only the first time in the 35-year history of the program and finished with a 19-11 overall mark, the most wins in for the team since the 1996-97 squad posted 21 wins.
The team also went 10-3 at home, matching the best-ever season at Tom Gola Arena and won more road games (nine) than any other team since the 1988-89 season. La Salle also finished with at least two wins in the Big 5 for the first time since 1999-2000.
This is the first Coach of the Year Award for a La Salle Women's coach in 15 years. John Miller, a three-time winner, last picked up the award in the 1991-92 season.
It was fitting that both Ricketts and Hightower were named to the first team this season, because either - as one could argue - had one of the best seasons ever for a women's basketball player at La Salle.
They became only the third duo to each score at least 400 points in a season, and are the only La Salle duo to each hit the 500-point milestone in the same year. They were the eighth pair of teammates to each grab at least 200 rebounds in the same season, and are the only duo to have at least 400 and 200 in the same year.
Not only that, in the history of the Explorer program before this season only two Explorers (done three times) has a player scored at least 500 points and pulled down at least 200 boards, and both Ricketts (509/227) and Hightower (525/213) accomplished that this year.
Ricketts also becomes the first La Salle player and only the third women's player in the history of the Big 5 to be named to First Team all four years at a school. She finished as the fifth all-time scoring in Big 5 history (229 points) and her 82 this season is tied for 10th all-time in a single season.
Her season totals also include 64 assists, 27 blocks, a 50.8 shooting percentage from the floor and a 73.1 percentage from the free throw line. Her 509 points is the eighth-most in a single season at La Salle and she finished her career with 1,645 points, which places her third on the school's all-time list.
Hightower picked up the Big 5's Most Improved Player Award in 2006 and continued the improvement into the 2006-07 season. From her sophomore to junior seasons, she increased her scoring by 6.2 ppg, up to 17.5 per game and almost doubled her career steals total with 72 this year.
Her numbers also include 74 assists and 16 blocks, and a 79.7 shooting percentage from the foul line. Her 525 points this season is the seventh-best output in a single season at the school and the steals were sixth. She will enter the 2007-08 season just 75 points shy of the becoming the 22nd player to score 1,000 points in a career.
Graber keeps the Sportsmanship Award in the La Salle family, as she picks up the honor after former Explorer Shaune McLaughlin took it the past two years. Graber also made the All-Academic Team for the first time.
Her 2006-07 season was almost identical to her break-out junior campaign when she hit a school-record 74 three pointers. She connected on 66 this season - third all-time - and finished her career fourth all-time in makes with 151, while her career percentage ranks fourth all-time at La Salle.
To see a complete listing of all the winners and teams please click on the above attachment.
