PARK RIDGE, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference office announced on Monday the 2009 All-Big Ten women’s basketball teams and individual award winners. Highlighting the list, Ohio State sophomore Jantel Lavender was named Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Buckeye head coach Jim Foster was named Coach of the Year, OSU point guard Samantha Prahalis was named Freshman of the Year, Buckeye junior Shavelle Little was named Defensive Player of the Year and Purdue freshman Brittany Rayburn was named Sixth Player of the Year.
Lavender earns Big Ten Player of the Year distinction by the conference coaches and media this year, after earning selection by the coaches last season. She becomes the sixth player in Big Ten women’s basketball history to earn the award in back-to-back seasons, joining former Buckeyes Tracey Hall (1986-87) and Jessica Davenport (2005-06-07). The sophomore became just the second player in conference history to complete the statistical triple crown, leading the conference in points (20.0) and rebounds (9.9) per game, as well as shooting percentage (.549) during Big Ten play. She eclipsed the 1,000-career point milestone this season, needing just 53 games to reach the marker, making her the second-fastest Buckeye in history to reach the plateau. Also this season, Lavender was named Big Ten Player of the Week five times, tying her for the conference’s single-season record. Her nine career selections tie her for third on the conference’s all-time list. Lavender also earned unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media.
Lavender’s mentor, Foster was tabbed as the conference Coach of the Year by his peers and by a 22-member media panel. The selection is his fourth in the last five years. The 31-year coaching veteran led Ohio State to its fifth consecutive Big Ten title, a feat previously accomplished only by the 1983-87 Buckeye squads. Under his guidance, Ohio State finished the regular season with a 24-5 overall mark and ranked as high as 12th nationally. The Buckeyes enter the 2009 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the fifth consecutive year, marking an unparalleled run atop the bracket.
A freshman under Foster’s tutelage, Prahalis was named Freshman of the Year by the coaches and media. She becomes the second consecutive Buckeye (Lavender) to earn the honor and is the eighth player in program history to receive the nod. The Commack, N.Y., native led the Big Ten in assists throughout the season and finished the regular season with a 5.76 assists-per-game average to rank 15th among all NCAA Division I players. Prahalis led all Big Ten freshmen in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game, and finished sixth among her classmates with 3.0 boards per contest. She was also named to the All-Big Ten second team by the media and earned honorable mention selection by the coaches.
A junior for the Buckeyes, Little is the second player in conference history to be named Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. Her award marks the Buckeyes’ third in the 10-year history of the honor. Little averaged 2.57 steals per game during the 2008-09 campaign and anchored a Buckeye defense that gave up less than 55 points per Big Ten game. On offense, the Ann Arbor, Mich., native contributed 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest.
Another Buckeye recognized was senior Star Allen who was named to the third team by both the coaches and the media. Allen led the Big Ten in field goal percentage at .545 percent, was ninth in rebounding (7.5) and 19th in scoring at 10.9 per game. She scored a career-high 25 points in her final home game Sunday and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. She also had four assists and three blocks. Allen, who was a second-team selection in 2006-07, went over 800 points for her career Sunday. In her last five games, Allen has scored 91 points (18.2 ppg) and is shooting 37-of-62 (.597 percent) from the field.
Courtesy Adam Widman Ohio State Athletics and The Big 10 Conference
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