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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Dominate Big 12 Awards
March 09, 2009 | Women's Basketball
IRVING, Texas -- Oklahoma dominated the Big 12 Conference in 2009 and, likewise, dominated the league's postseason awards announced by the conference Monday.
Sherri Coale was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for a record fourth time and Courtney Paris was named the conference player of the year for a record third straight season.
The honors were voted by the league's head coaches, with coaches not allowed to vote for their own players.
Coale led the Sooners to its sixth Big 12 regular-season title and a No. 3 national ranking. The Sooners finished the regular season 27-3 overall and 15-1 in the Big 12 and will begin the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City as the No. 1 seed.
During the 2009 season, Paris averaged 16.1 points and 13.7 rebounds, earned the NCAA's all-time rebounding record and ended her record double-double streak at 112 games. The Piedmont, Calif., native is 59 rebounds shy of becoming the first player in college history -- any gender, any division, any membership -- to score 2,500 points and 2,000 rebounds in a career.
Whitney Hand earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and Nyeshia Stevenson shared the league's pick for the Sixth Man Award with Baylor's Melissa Jones.
Hand started the first 26 games before suffering a broken left index finger. She scored 9.2 points per game and was the Sooners' consistent deep threat, shooting over 38 percent from beyond the arc. Hand was the Big 12's Freshman of the Week four times.
Stevenson was electric off the bench. In her 26 games as a reserve, the junior averaged 9.6 points and led the Big 12 Conference by shooting 45 percent from 3-point range. Stevenson's 21 second-half points versus California (Dec. 13, 2008) helped the Sooners rally from a 26-point halftime deficit to win the game for the greatest comeback in regulation in NCAA Division I history.
Ashley and Courtney Paris and Danielle Robinson gave OU three members -- more than any other school -- on the All-Big 12 First Team. Hand was an honorable mention for All-Big 12.
Named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team were Robinson, the youngest member for the second straight season, and Courtney Paris.
2009 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Awards
Coach of the Year: Sherri Coale, Oklahoma (fourth award)
Player of the Year: Courtney Paris, Oklahoma (third consecutive award)
Newcomer of the Year: Tanisha Smith, Texas A&M
Freshman of the Year: Whitney Hand, Oklahoma
Defensive Player of the Year: Danielle Gant, Texas A&M
Sixth Man Award: Nyeshia Stevenson, Oklahoma, and Melissa Jones, Baylor
| All-Big 12 First Team (alphabetical by school) | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Class | Hometown |
| Danielle Wilson | Baylor | C | 6-3 | Jr. | Bay Shore, N.Y. |
| Danielle McCray | Kansas | G/F | 5-11 | Jr. | Olathe, Kan. |
| Shalee Lehning | Kansas State | G | 5-9 | Sr. | Sublette, Kan. |
| Ashley Sweat | Kansas State | F | 6-2 | Jr. | McPherson, Kan. |
| Ashley Paris | Oklahoma | F | 6-3 | Sr. | Piedmont, Calif. |
| Courtney Paris | Oklahoma | C | 6-4 | Sr. | Piedmont, Calif. |
| Danielle Robinson | Oklahoma | G | 5-9 | So. | San Jose, Calif. |
| Andrea Riley | Oklahoma State | G | 5-5 | Jr. | Dallas, Texas |
| Danielle Gant | Texas A&M | G/F | 5-11 | Sr. | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| Takia Starks | Texas A&M | G | 5-8 | Sr. | Houston, Texas |
| All-Big 12 Second Team (alphabetical by school) | |||||
| Brittany Spears | Colorado | F | 6-1 | So. | Pasadena, Calif. |
| Heather Ezell | Iowa State | G | 5-9 | Sr. | Springfield, Mo. |
| Marlies Gipson | Kansas State | F | 6-0 | Sr. | McPherson, Kan. |
| Brittainey Raven | Texas | G | 6-0 | Jr. | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Dominic Seals | Texas Tech | F | 6-2 | Sr. | Dallas, Texas |
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (alphabetical by school)
Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player, Baylor; Kara Richards, Colorado; Alison Lacey and Kelsey Bolte, Iowa State; Alyssa Hollins, Missouri; Cory Montgomery, Nebraska; Whitney Hand, Oklahoma; Shaunte' Smith, Oklahoma State; and Carla Cortijo and Kathleen Nash, Texas.
| Big 12 All-Defensive Team (alphabetical by school) | |||||
| Danielle Wilson | Baylor | C | 6-3 | Jr. | Bay Shore, N.Y. |
| Yvonne Turner | Nebraska | G | 5-8 | Jr. | Omaha, Neb. |
| Courtney Paris | Oklahoma | C | 6-4 | Sr. | Piedmont, Calif. |
| Danielle Robinson | Oklahoma | G | 5-9 | So. | San Jose, Calif. |
| Danielle Gant | Texas A&M | G/F | 5-11 | Sr. | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| Big 12 All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school) | |||||
| Alyssa Fressle | Colorado | G | 5-10 | Fr. | Highlands Ranch, Colo. |
| Whitney Hand | Oklahoma | G | 6-1 | Fr. | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Ashleigh Fontenette | Texas | G | 5-8 | Fr. | Pflugerville, Texas |
| Sydney Carter | Texas A&M | G | 5-6 | Fr. | DeSoto, Texas |
| Kierra Mallard | Texas Tech | C | 6-3 | Fr. | Dallas, Texas |
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