University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss' Carey Named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year
3/5/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 5, 2012
IRVING, Texas - Three seniors highlight the 2012 Conference USA Women's Basketball Specialty Awards announced today as voted on by the league coaches, sports information directors and a select media panel.
Southern Miss junior transfer Tanecka Carey arrived on campus from Jones County Junior College and made an instant impact, earning her C-USA Newcomer of the Year honors. The 5-9 guard from Jackson, Miss., ranked fifth in the league with a 15.2 point per game average and seventh in 3-point shooting, hitting .323.
Carey has played and started all 29 games and is second on the team in scoring (15.2), free throw percentage (.700) and assists (2.1) while leading the team in rebounding (5.9), three-pointers made (60) and three-point percentage (31.9). She has hit at least one three-pointer in 23 games. She scored a season-high 26 points against South Alabama.
Carey has seven games with 20 or more points. She also recorded three double-doubles and scored in double figures in 26 games. Carey ranks fourth in the league in scoring and 16th in rebounding. She is the Top junior scorer in the league. She was named to Lady Eagle Classic all-tournament team. She is averaging 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in C-USA games. She scored 23 points against East Carolina while posting a double-double against Marshall. She was named C-USA Player of the Week once.
Jasmine Lee, a 6-2 post from Bessemer, Ala., was named the 2012 C-USA Player of the Year in a vote by the league's coaches, sports information directors and a select media panel. This was after Lee finished the regular season as one of two players in the league that accounted for a double-double with averages of 15.2 points and 10 rebounds per game. The power post also shot 51.1 percent from the floor, fourth-best in C-USA.
Ramses Lonlack was coach Melissa McFerrin's first recruit at Memphis, and the 5-8 senior has long been viewed as one of the league's best defensive players. This year, the guard from Bertoua, Cameroon, pocketed 53 steals overall and averaged 2.0 thefts per game. She ranks third in school history with 292 steals and sixth in C-USA history.
Tulane's Danielle Blagg was voted the league's Freshman of the Year after a stellar initial season. The 5-11 guard from San Antonio, Texas, averaged 7.7 points and shot 30 percent from the floor. She scored a season-high 22 points in the upset win over then-nationally-ranked LSU and was named the league's Freshman of the Week four times.
UTEP's Gloria Brown won C-USA Sixth Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season. She averaged 11.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game while coming off the bench for the Miners. Brown ranks 15th in the league in both categories and tops the chart with a 2.9 blocked shot average, 85 overall on the season.
UTEP's Keitha Adams was named the C-USA Coach of the Year for the second time. The Miners captured the league championship with a 15-1 record and finished the regular season 26-3 overall. Adams has given the UTEP program two C-USA regular season titles in the last five years.
The 2012 Conference USA Basketball Championships get underway on Wednesday, March 7. The women's first and second round games will be played at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Memphis' campus while the men's games will take place at the FedExForum in downtown. For ticket information call 901-678-2331 or log onto www.gotigers.com.
2011-12 C-USA Women's Basketball Speciality Awards Team
Player of the Year
Jasmine Lee, RS-Sr., P, Memphis
Freshman of the Year
Danielle Blagg, G, Tulane
Defensive Player of the Year
Ramses Lonlack, Sr., G, Memphis
Sixth Player of the Year
Gloria Brown, Sr., F, UTEP
Newcomer of the Year
Tanecka Carey, Jr., G, Southern Miss
Coach of the Year
Keitha Adams, UTEP
