Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale was chosen Big 12 Coach of the Year while Baylor’s Sophia Young was honored as Big 12 Player of the Year, highlighting the 2005-06 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Conference Women’s Basketball Awards.
Kansas University senior Crystal Kemp was voted to the 10-player First Team, while fellow Jayhawk Erica Hallman was named Honorable Mention.
Oklahoma State’s Whitney Pegram was voted Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, while OU’s Courtney Paris earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Paris and Baylor’s Abiola Wabara tied for Big 12 Defensive Players of the Year. The awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches, with coaches not allowed to vote for their own players.
Coale, in her 10th season as head coach of the Sooners, led Oklahoma to a perfect 16-0 mark in conference play to become the league’s first women’s basketball team to complete the Big 12 season undefeated. OU is currently 26-4 on the year and ranked No. 9 nationally in both polls. Coale earned her third Big 12 Coach of the Year honor as the Sooners won their fourth Big 12 regular season title.
Young became the Big 12’s all-time leading rebounder this season and is only three points shy of becoming the conference’s career scoring leader. She currently has 1,255 rebounds and 2,331 points. She needs eight assists to become one of only four players in NCAA Division I history to tally 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 300 assists. Young also holds the top spot in Big 12 career double-doubles. The 6-1 senior forward leads the Big 12 in both overall and conference-only scoring with 21.7 ppg and 22.5 ppg, respectively. She is third in both season and league rebounding with 9.9 rpg for the season and 10.1 rpg in Big 12 play.
Pegram, a 6-4 junior center, is second in the Big 12 in blocks with 69 for a 2.56 per game average. She set Oklahoma State’s record for single-season blocked shots. Pegram averages a team-leading 14.3 points, good for 12th in the conference and is also 12th in field goal percentage, connecting on 45.9 percent of her attempts.
Paris averages 20.9 points and 14.8 rebounds for the season and 22.5 ppg and 15.0 boards in Big 12 play. She leads the league in both rebounding categories and is second in both scoring categories. She has earned a Big 12-record 11 weekly honors this season and was the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s December Co-Player of the Month. The 6-4 rookie center is the first player in Big 12 history to record 600 points and 400 rebounds in a season. Paris leads the Big 12 with 3.33 blocks per game and is two shy of setting the NCAA freshman single season blocks record. Paris has ecorded a Big 12 single-season record 27 double-doubles, including 22 straight. Both marks lead the NCAA.
Junior 6-0 forward Wabara draws the assignment of guarding Baylor opponents’ top offensive player. She has a quick first step and can guard any position. Wabara averages 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. She leads BU with 37 blocks, which is 10th in the Big 12, and also has 34 steals and 44 assists.
2005-06 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Awards
Coach of the Year: Sherri Coale, Oklahoma
Player of the Year: Sophia Young, Baylor
Newcomer of the Year: Whitney Pegram, Oklahoma State (C, 6-4, Jr, Silver Lake, Kan./Seward County)
Freshman of the Year: Courtney Paris, Oklahoma
Defensive Player of the Year: (tie) Abiola Wabara, Baylor and Courtney Paris, Oklahoma
All-Big 12 First Team
Player, School School Pos Ht Cl Hometown
Sophia Young Baylor F 6-1 Sr St. Vincent, The Grenadines
Lyndsey Medders Iowa State G 5-9 Jr Los Angeles, Calif.
Crystal Kemp Kansas F 6-2 Sr Topeka, Kan.
LaToya Bond Missouri G 5-7 Sr Urbana, Ill.
Kiera Hardy Nebraska G 5-6 Jr Kansas City, Mo.
Courtney Paris Oklahoma C 6-4 Fr Piedmont, Calif.
Tiffany Jackson Texas F 6-3 Jr Dallas, Texas
Morenike Atunrase Texas A&M G/F 5-10 So Shreverport, La.
LaToya Davis Texas Tech F/C 6-1 Sr Houston, Texas
Erin Grant Texas Tech G 5-8 Sr Arlington, Texas
All-Big 12 Second Team
Angela Tisdale Baylor G 5-5 So Austin, Texas
Jackie McFarland Colorado F 6-3 So Derby, Kan.
Claire Coggins Kansas State G/F 5-11 Jr Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Christelle N’Garsanet Missouri C 6-3 Sr Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, Africa
Leah Rush Oklahoma F 6-1 Jr Amarillo, Texas
Nina Norman Texas G 5-8 Sr Houston, Texas
(tie in voting)
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (alphabetical by school)
Chameka Scott and Abiola Wabara (Baylor), Brittany Wilkins (Iowa State), Erica Hallman (Kansas), Carlynn Savant (Missouri), Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska), Britney Brown, Erin Higgins and Chelsi Whelch (Oklahoma), Whitney Pegram (Oklahoma State), A’Quonesia
Franklin (Texas A&M), Alesha Robertson (Texas Tech)
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Player, School School Pos Ht Cl Hometown
Abiola Wabara Baylor F 6-0 Jr Parma, Italy
Sophia Young Baylor F 6-1 Sr St. Vincent, The Grenadines
EeTisha Riddle Missouri F 6-3 Jr O’Fallon, Ill.
LaToya Bond Missouri G 5-7 Sr Urbana, Ill.
Courtney Paris Oklahoma C 6-4 Fr Piedmont, Calif.
Big 12 All-Rookie Team
Player, School School Pos Ht Cl Hometown
Marlies Gipson Kansas State F 6-0 Fr McPherson, Kan.
Kelsey Griffin Nebraska F 6-2 Fr Eagle River, Alaska
Courtney Paris Oklahoma C 6-4 Fr Piedmont, Calif.
Takia Starks Texas A&M G 5-8 Fr Houston, Texas
Erika Arriaran Texas G 5-10 Fr Norco, Calif.
