University of Connecticut Athletics
Maya Moore Named BIG EAST Player of the Year
3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. (March 7, 2008) – University of Connecticut's Maya Moore (Lawrenceville, Ga.) made BIG EAST history on Friday night at the conference's annual awards banquet in Hartford as she became the first freshman in the league's history (male or female) to be recognized as the BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Moore was also the unanimous choice as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to sweep both awards.
Moore's selection marks the 14th time a UConn player has been named as BIG EAST Player of the Year. The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Award represents the 10th time a UConn player has been so honored and the third consecutive season overall following Renee Montgomery (2006) and Tina Charles (2007).
Senior guard Ketia Swanier (Columbus, Ga.) was recognized by the league as the BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year, the first year of the award.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was named Co-BIG EAST Coach of the Year along with Syracuse's Quentin Hillman. Auriemma's selection marked the seventh time he has been selected as the conference's coach of the year and the first time since 2003.
A total of three UConn players were selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team as junior Renee Montgomery (St. Albans, W. Va.) and sophomore Tina Charles (Jamaica, N.Y.) joined Moore on the 11-member squad.
UConn has now earned a total of 34 selections to the All-BIG EAST First Team in the program's history.
Swanier was also selected as an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention choice.
Moore and fellow freshman Lorin Dixon (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) were each named to the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team.
All BIG EAST Awards are voted on by the league's 16 head coaches.
Moore has had an exceptional rookie season as she was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week a league-record 10 times and, in addition, was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on March 3 becoming the first freshman – male or female – to win both awards in the same week.
Moore led her team in scoring, averaging 19.6 points through 16 league games. The sharp-shooting forward owns a 57.7 field goal percentage (123-213), a league-best 48.8 3-point field goal percentage (39-80) and has made 29-of-36 free throw attempts in conference action. Moore broke the BIG EAST rookie single-season records for scoring average (19.6 ppg) and field goals made (123).
She also is tops on the team in overall scoring with an 18.4 average and second in rebounding, grabbing 7.3 per game. Moore is the only player in the league to score in double digits in all 30 games this season, and holds the UConn mark for consecutive games in double figures to start a career. She most recently broke Connecticut’s single-season freshman scoring record and stands with 551 points, passing Svetlana Abrosimova’s mark of 532. Moore is a Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year candidate.
Auriemma led UConn to its 16th BIG EAST regular-season championship with a 66-46 win against No. 4/4 Rutgers on March 3. The Huskies went 15-1 in league play and 29-1 overall, opening the year with 21 consecutive wins, even after losing two starters to season-ending knee injuries.
The Naismith Hall of Fame coach and UConn have been ranked No. 1 nationally for three-straight weeks and 10 overall this season. When they were not the top-ranked team in the country, the Huskies held the No. 2 position. Auriemma has led Connecticut to wins over five teams ranked in the Top 10 and eight wins over Top 25 opponents. He obtained his 650th career win in the Huskies regular-season finale against Rutgers and holds a 650-121 (.843) overall record.
Swanier has been instrumental in sustaining Connecticut’s 29-1 record and No. 1 national ranking this season. A reserve, who stepped up her play when two teammates endured season-ending injuries, the senior guard was usually the first person off the bench. Through 16 league games, Swanier leads the team with 75 assists and has a team-second 31 steals, while averaging 7.9 points per game. The Columbus, Ga. native, is part of a senior class that holds a 118-18 record throughout their four-year careers.
The No. 1 seed Huskies open BIG EAST Tournament action in Sunday's quarterfinal round against either Marquette or DePaul beginning at 2:00 p.m. (ET).
2007-08 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Awards
BIG EAST Player of the Year – Maya Moore, Connecticut (Fr., Forward, Lawrenceville, Ga.)
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year – Maya Moore, Connecticut (Fr., Forward, Lawrenceville, Ga.)
BIG EAST Coaches of the Year – Geno Auriemma, Connecticut (23rd season); Quentin Hillsman, Syracuse (2nd season)
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year – Essence Carson, Rutgers (Sr., Guard/Forward, Paterson, N.J.)
BIG EAST Sixth Man Award – Ketia Swanier, Connecticut (Sr., Guard, Columbus, Ga.)
BIG EAST Most Improved Player – Epiphanny Prince, Rutgers (So., Guard, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award – Meg Bulger, West Virginia (Sr., Guard/Forward, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
BIG EAST/Aéropostale Scholar-Athlete – Allie Quigley, DePaul (Sr., Guard, Joliet, Ill.)
Coatesville, Pa. Nicole Michael Syracuse So. Guard/Forward Queens, N.Y. Deirdre Naughton DePaul So. Guard Winnetka, Ill. Lindsay Schrader Notre Dame Jr. Guard Bartlett, Ill. Ketia Swanier Connecticut Sr. Guard Columbus, Ga. ALL-BIG EAST FRESHMAN TEAM^ School Class Position Hometown Chelsea Cole Pittsburgh Fr. Forward Lumberton, N.J. Lorin Dixon Connecticut Fr. Guard
Springfield Gardens, N.Y. Mi-Khida Hankins Providence Fr. Guard/Forward Baltimore, Md. Tasha Harris Syracuse Fr. Guard Bronx, N.Y. Taneisha Harrison Pittsburgh Fr. Guard Bowie, Md. Sky Lindsay St. John’s Fr. Guard Brooklyn, N.Y. Brittany Mallory Notre Dame Fr. Guard Baltimore, Md. Maya Moore Connecticut Fr. Forward
Lawrenceville, Ga. Erica Morrow Syracuse Fr. Guard
Brooklyn, N.Y. Devereaux Peters Notre Dame Fr. Forward Chicago, Ill. Angel Robinson Marquette Fr. Guard St. Paul, Minn. Ebonie Williams Seton Hall Fr. Guard Hagerstown, Md.
