INDIANAPOLIS – Wright State junior Kim Demmings was tabbed the Horizon League Player of the Year highlighting the Horizon League’s 2013-14 Women’s Basketball All-League Teams and specialty award winners in voting of the League’s coaches, sports information directors and media.
Demmings led the conference in scoring at 22.4 points per game, while guiding the Raiders to a program-best 23 win season. A prolific scorer since stepping on campus two years ago, the Richmond, Ind., native already ranks second on WSU’s career scoring list with 1,888 points, just 168 points shy of taking over the top spot.
In 31 games this season, Demmings has scored 20 or more points 21 times, including seven games where she has scored over 30 points. She also ranks in the top-15 in the League in rebounding (6.4 per game), assists (2.7 per game) and steals (2.1 per game).
UIC’s Ruvanna Campbell was named the Defensive Player of the Year. The sophomore forward arrived in the conference this season and immediately made her mark, averaging a double-double at 16.6 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game. She ends the regular season as the only player in the conference to grab over 200 defensive rebounds and also ranks second in the League with 41 blocked shots.
Green Bay’s Tesha Buck was the Freshman of the Year after leading all freshman in the conference in numerous categories. She topped the freshman in the regular season in points (10.2 per game), assists (4.1 per game), steals (1.8 per game), three-point field goals made (54) and assist-turnover ratio (1.77).
Youngstown State senior Monica Touvelle was named the Sixth Player of the Year. The YSU guard came off-the-bench in 21 games this season, averaging 6.0 points per game. She ranked second on the team with 37 three-pointers made and topped the team and ranked fifth in the conference with her 38.9 percent three-point shooting.
Green Bay’s Kevin Borseth was named Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his career. He led a very young Phoenix squad – nine of the 12 players to play in a game for GB this season are freshmen or sophomores – to its 16th consecutive Horizon League regular season title. In his career, Borseth has a 154-16 (90.6%) record in conference games.
The first-team consisted of Demmings, Campbell, Youngstown State’s Heidi Schlegel (20.0 ppg., 8.0 rpg), Cleveland State’s Imani Gordon (16.4 ppg., 9.5 rpg.) and Wright State’s Ivory James (17.7 ppg., 6.2 rpg.).
This was Demmings’ second-time being honored on the first-team. She was also a first-team selection in the 2011-12 season. Last year, she was a second-team selection. This is the first time being selected to an All-League team for the other four players.
The All-League Second Team consisted of Milwaukee’s Angela Rodriguez (17.1 ppg.,and League-best 5.7 apg), UIC’s Rachel Story (17.7 ppg., 1.4 spg.), Detroit’s Senee Shearer (19.5 ppg. and League-best 93 three-pointers made), Green Bay’s Kaili Lukan (11.4 ppg.) and Oakland’s Bethany Watterworth (14.5 ppg., 5.4 rpg.)
Buck was joined on the All-Freshman team by teammate Mehryn Kraker (9.4 ppg., 40% on three-pointers), Youngstown State’s Jenna Hirsch (7.3 ppg., 3.1 apg.), Detroit’s Megan Galloway (9.5 ppg., 7.6 rpg.) and Cleveland State’s Khayla Livingston (5.0 ppg., and 1.24 assist-turnover ratio).
Campbell headlined the All-Defensive team and was joined by Green Bay’s Megan Lukan (1.5 spg.), UIC’s Terri Bender (League-best 85 steals), Oakland’s Kim Bee (League-high 58 blocks) and Wright State’s Tay’ler Mingo (second in League with 73 steals).
The 2014 Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship tip-offs on Monday, March 10 with ninth-seed Valparaiso playing at eighth-seed Detroit. The rest of the League team’s begin play on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. The Horizon League title game will be played at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 16, on ESPNU.
2014 HORIZON LEAGUE AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kim Demmings, Wright State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Tesha Buck, Green Bay
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ruvanna Campbell, UIC
SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Monica Touvelle, Youngstown State
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin Borseth, Green Bay
ALL-LEAGUE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Kim Demmings, Wright State (Jr., G)
Ruvanna Campbell, UIC (So., F)
Heidi Schlegel, Youngstown State (Jr., F)
Imani Gordon, Cleveland State (Jr., F)
Ivory James, Wright State (Sr., G)
SECOND TEAM
Angela Rodriguez, Milwaukee (Sr., G)
Rachel Story, UIC (Sr., G)
Senee Shearer, Detroit (Sr., G)
Kaili Lukan, Green Bay (So., G)
Bethany Watterworth, Oakland (Sr., F)
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Tesha Buck, Green Bay
Mehryn Kraker, Green Bay
Jenna Hirsch, Youngstown State
Megan Galloway, Detroit
Khayla Livingston, Cleveland State
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Ruvanna Campbell, UIC (So., F)
Megan Lukan, Green Bay (Jr., G)
Terri Bender, UIC (So., G)
Kim Bee, Oakland (Sr., F)
Tay’ler Mingo, Wright State (Jr., G)
Tags: Cleveland State - Women's Basketball · Detroit Mercy - Women's Basketball · Green Bay - Women's Basketball · Horizon League - Women's Basketball · Milwaukee - Women's Basketball · Oakland - Women's Basketball · UIC - Women's Basketball · Valparaiso - Women's Basketball · Wright State - Women's Basketball · Youngstown State - Women's Basketball
