It’s been quite a week for outgoing UL women’s basketball coach J. Kelley Hall.
On Wednesday, he accepted the women’s basketball head-coaching position at the University of Cincinnati, leaving UL five years after guiding the program to unprecedented heights.
On Friday, Hall was honored as Coach of the Year on the All-Louisiana women’s basketball team selected by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Hall was joined in the group by Cajun senior Yolanda Jones, who was one of the first-team selections on the squad picked by a committee of writers from across the state.
LSU’s Sylvia Fowles took the top player honor, being named Player of the Year after leading the Lady Tigers to their fourth consecutive NCAA Women’s Final Four appearance.
LSU’s Quianna Chaney, Louisiana Tech senior Shan Moore and Tulane senior Jami Montagnino round out the first-team selections. All but Moore led their teams into postseason play, with Jones pacing the Cajuns to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2007 and Montagnino taking the Green Wave into the second round of the Women’s NIT.
Hall led the Cajuns to its best season in program history en route to UL’s first postseason appearance, an 11-seed in the Dayton Regional. A school-record-tying 13 road victories paved the way for a 25-9 record and a second Sun Belt Conference Western Division championship in the last three seasons.
Fowles, a junior center, was named one of 10 Kodak All-Americans on March 31 prior to LSU’s semifinal game against Rutgers. Going into the Final Four, she averaged 17.2 points and 12.7 rebounds per game this season and was named as the Fresno Regional’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21.5 points and 12 rebounds in wins over Florida State and Connecticut.
Moore is one of two Lady Techsters to be named All-Louisiana. Ty Moore was named to the second team, while teammate Jo Sneed was named the Louisiana Newcomer of the Year.
Joining Ty Moore on the All-Louisiana second team are Chassidy Jones of Northwestern State, D’Aundra Henry of Tulane, Le’Della English of New Orleans and Louisiana Freshman of the Year Trenese Smith of Loyola.
|
LSWA All-Louisiana Women’s Basketball Team
|
|
First Team
Sylvia Fowles, LSU; Yolanda Jones, UL; Shan Moore, Louisiana Tech; Jami Montagnino, Tulane; Quianna Chaney LSU
Second Team
Ty Moore, Louisiana Tech; Trenese Smith, Loyola; Chassidy Jones, Northwestern State; D’Aundra Henry, Tulane; Le’Della English, New Orleans
Third Team
Lacey Cormier, Grambling; Jamie Octave, Nicholls State; Erica White, LSU; Jarryn Cleaves, Xavier; Brenita Williams, Southeastern Louisiana
Player of the Year
Sylvia Fowles, LSU
Coach of the Year
J. Kelley Hall, UL
Freshman of the Year
Trenese Smith, Loyola
Newcomer of the Year
Jo Sneed, Louisiana Tech
|
|
