Shannon is 3rd team all-MAC

Kent center Cici Shannon was named third team all-MAC today in a poll of the league’s coaches.

She’s the first Kent State player named to a team since Jamilah Humes and Taisja Jones were second steam in 2011. They played on KSU’s last winning team, which was 20-10 and second in the MAC East. Diamon Blackford was honorable mention in 2012.

Shannon led the MAC with 10.6 rebounds per game in league play and was second in overall games with 8.8 per game. She led the MAC in field goal percentage in all games (53.4 percent) and in league play (56.1 percent) and was second in the MAC in blocked shos at 2.1  per game.

Shannon’s 265 rebounds this season are eighth most in school history.

Shannon’s 62 blocks this season is seventh in school history. Her 75 last year was tied for third, and her total of 137 is third highest ever for Kent. If you add the 145 blocks she had at Southern Illinois in her first two years in college, she has more blocks than any Kent State player ever. Mary Bukovac has the most in a Kent uniform with 250 from 1986-89.

Shannon averaged 9.8 points a game for the Flashes, second on the team and 21st in the MAC. The center was also named to the Second Team of College Sports Madness’ All-MAC selections (an organization I had never heard of before today).

The All-MAC first team:
  • Senior forward Sina King of Akron.
  • Junior forward Nathalie Fontaine ofBall State.
  • Junior guard Amanda Corral of Northern Illinois.
  • Junior guard Kiyanna Black of Ohio.
  • Senior guard Inma Zanoguera of Toledo.

Second team: Junior guard Anita Brown of Akron, senior forward Kristen Sharke of Buffalo; seniior forward/guard Crystal Bradford of Central Michigan, sophomore guard Cha Sweeney of Eastern Michigan, senior forward/center Miracle Woods of  Western Michigan.

Third team: Sophomore guard Hannah Plybon of Akron. sophomore guard Jill Morrison of Ball State, junior guard Mackenzie Loesing of Buffalo, senior center Cici Shannon of Kent State, sophomore forward Quiera Lampkins of Ohio.
Honorable mention: Senior guard Deborah Hoekstra of Bowling Green, senior center/forward Christa Baccas of Buffalo, junior guard Da’Jourie Turner of Central Michigan, senior guard Mariah Byard of Ohio, junior guard Brenae Harris of Toledo,
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM:

  • Guard Kerri McMahan of Akron.
  • Guard/forward Moriah Monaco of Ball State.
  • Guard Baleigh Reid of Miami.
  • Guard/forward Kelly Smith of Northern Illinois.
  • Guard Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott of Toledo.

Defensive Player of the Year

  •  Senior center/forward Christa Baccas of Buffalo.

Sixth Player of the Year

  • Junior guard Mackenzie Loesing, Buffalo.

The full MAC release is here.

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Player of the year, coach of the year and freshman of the year will be announced tomorrow. Those awards are chosen by the media, and as one of the only people covering Kent State women’s basketball, I was nominated to vote.
Here’s my ballot:

COACH OF THE YEAR

A no brainer. Ohio’s Bob Boldon took a team that was 9-21 last season and led it to an overpowering league championship with a 25-4 record.

My second place was Brady Sallee of Ball State, who took his team to an unexpected MAC West champiionship.

Third was Tori Verdi of Eastern Michigan, whose team could have fallen apart after starter Shannise Heady was killed in an automobile accident in late January. Instead the Eagles won their last 9 of 11 games, including its victory over Kent State Monday.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sina King of Akron, who led the MAC in scoring with 20.3 points a game and rebounding with 9.3.

Second was Crystal Bradford of Central Michigan, who was second in the league in scoring and third in rebounding and in the top 10 the league in multiple categories.

Third was Inma Zanoguera of Toledo, who was fifth in the league in scoring, second in assists, second in free throw percentage and seventh in field goal percentage. All are seniors.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

There really wasn’t a dominant freshman in the conference this season.

My vote went to Toledo’s guard Jay Bravo-Harriott, who was fifth in the league in three-point percentag, seventh in three-pointers per game and 19th in scoring in league play (14th, ninth and 27th in those categories overall).

Second was guard Baleigh Reid of Miami, who was the highest scoring freshman in the league at 10.8 points a game (19th overall).

Third was point guard Stephanie Reid of Buffalo, who was eighth in the conference in assists and ninth in assist/turnover ratio. Her statistics weren’t quite as good as Akron freshman Kerri McMahan, but Buffalo improved considerably when Reid joined the team in January.

Kent State’s Jordan Korinek was just behind. She was one of the MAC’s best freshman forwards and was fifth in the conference in field goal percentage. No freshman forward was in the top 30 in the league scoring or in the top 20 in rebounding.