March 9, 2009
LAS VEGAS - UNLV's Jamie Smith became the first Lady Rebel to be named Mountain West All-Conference Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year, and was also a honorable mention all-conference while Shamela Hampton was a third-team selection for the third straight year the league announced on Monday.
Smith, a 6-0 forward from Kailua, Hawaii, becomes just the second Lady Rebel ever to earn conference freshman of the Year honors, joining Linda Fröhlich, who was WAC Freshman of the Year in 1998-99. Smith has set several conference freshman records this season, including total rebounds (258), easily shattering the previous record of 199, and double-doubles as she currently has 11, just one away from the UNLV rookie record of 12 set by Fröhlich. She is currently averaging 9.2 rebounds per game, which ranks her third nationally in the nation among freshmen, and she's second overall in the MWC among all players. In league play, Smith easily led the MWC with 10.1 rpg over the 16 conference games, and her 162 total rebounds in MWC games is another new league mark for all players.
Smith also averaged 10.1 ppg, third best on UNLV, and ranked in the MWC in a total of nine categories, including steals (eighth with 1.66 pg) and blocks (ninth with 0.86 pg).
Hampton, a 6-3 senior center from Colorado Springs, Colo., earned her third league recognition by finishing the regular season with a career-best 14.1 ppg average, which ranks her eighth in the MWC. She's also in the top six in two other categories, as she is fourth in rebounding with 8.4 per game, and sixth in field goal percentage at 47.7%. She leads the league with 12 double-doubles this season, while her 22 career double-doubles is the sixth-highest in conference history. Hampton also became the 18th Lady Rebel to reach the 1,000 career point mark this year, and is 15th all-time at UNLV with 1,132 points.
Morgan Warburton of Utah won the Player of the Year award, while Jene Morris from San Diego State was named Defensive Player of the Year. TK LaFleur of TCU was the Newcomer of the Year, Emma Langford was named the 6th Player of the Year, and Beth Burns received Coach of the Year honors after leading San Diego State to a share of the regular season title.
The All-MWC First team was made up of Warburton and Kalee Whipple of Utah, Helena Sverrisdottir from TCU, and Paris Johnson and Morris from San Diego State. On the second team was Amy Beggin (New Mexico), Quenese Davis (San Diego State), TK LaFleur (TCU), Hillary Carlson (Wyoming), Emily Carter (TCU), and Katie King (Utah). The third team was comprised of Hampton, Angela Hartill (New Mexico), Mindy Nielson (BYU), and Megan McGuffey (Wyoming).
The Lady Rebels finished the regular season at 12-17 and came in seventh place with a 5-11 record in league play. UNLV, the seventh seed in the 2009 MWC Tournament, will open against sixth-seeded BYU in the first round on Tuesday at 7 pm in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
2008-09 Mountain West Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams
First TeamMorgan Warburton, UtahKalee Whipple, UtahHelena Sverrisdottir, TCUParis Johnson, San Diego StateJené Morris, San Diego State
Second TeamAmy Beggin, New MexicoQuenese Davis, San Diego StateTK LaFleur, TCUHillary Carlson, WyomingEmily Carter, TCUKatie King, Utah
Third TeamShamela Hampton, UNLVAngela Hartill, New MexicoMindy Nielson, BYUMegan McGuffey, Wyoming
Honorable MentionJamie Smith, UNLVRaimee Beck, Air ForceCassie King, BYUShawnee Slade, BYUKristen Scheffler, Wyoming
Player of the Year: Morgan Warburton, UtahNewcomer of the Year: TK LaFleur, TCUFreshman of the Year: Jamie Smith, UNLVDefensive Player of the Year: Jené Morris, San Diego State6th Player of the Year: Emma Langford, WyomingCoach of the Year: Beth Burns, San Diego State
