BATON ROUGE — After finishing the Drive For Five to reach the program’s fifth straight trip to the Final Four, the LSU women’s basketball team recognized the accomplishments of the team and handed out awards at the 2008 Banquet held at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday.
LSU finished 31-6 on the season, the fourth straight season with 30 or more wins. The Lady Tigers also finished as Southeastern Conference regular season champions with a perfect 14-0 record.
Led by eight seniors, LSU racked up several conference awards. First-year Hall of Fame head coach Van Chancellor was named SEC Coach of the Year, sophomore Allison Hightower was awarded SEC Sixth Woman of the Year, senior Erica White was named second-team All-SEC and seniors Quianna Chaney and Sylvia Fowles were awarded first-team All-SEC honors.
In addition, Fowles was named SEC Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year as well as the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year.
At the banquet, the awards were handed out by members of the women’s basketball staff.
Senior Mesha Williams was named the Keia Howell Most Improved Player of the Year. Williams averaged 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and saw action in all 37 games for the Lady Tigers.
Senior RaShonta LeBlanc was awarded the LaTasha Dorsey Defensive Player of the Year honor for the second straight year. LeBlanc collected 78 steals and 118 defensive rebounds and was called upon to guard the opponent’s best perimeter during most of the season.
Senior Ashley Thomas received the Cornelia Gayden Outstanding Attitude Award. Thomas, who averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 37 games, always did what was asked of her in practice and in games.
Hightower received the Kisha James Outstanding Teammate Award, which is voted on by her teammates. Hightower averaged 7.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in all 37 games.
White, a senior guard, was given the Temeka Johnson Floor General Award. White, who played in 36 games, averaged 7.7 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per game from the point guard position.
Chaney was named the Joyce Walker Perimeter Player of the Year. Chaney connected on 93 three-point shots during the season and led the Lady Tigers with a 38.3 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Fowles received the Maree Jackson Post Player of the Year award. Fowles, a two-time State Farm All-American, posted a team-high 17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during the season. Fowles recently wrapped up a stint with the USA Basketball Women’s National Team where she led the team in scoring with 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Fowles also received the Arete Award, which is given annually to the player that shows outstanding effort in the weight room.
Sherie Starkey, Associate Head Coach Bob Starkey’s wife, received the Sue Gunter Courage Award. Less than a year after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Sherie overcame the disease and is now cancer free.