SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The 2014 Southern Conference women’s basketball postseason awards were announced on Wednesday, following a balloting of the league’s head coaches. Chattanooga forward Taylor Hall was named Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the year for her efforts this season, while Furman’s Jackie Carson was named Coach of the Year. Elon’s Jennifer Rhodes was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year.
Hall becomes the second player to win both the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season, joining Sophia Aleksandravicius, who did it twice in 2012 and 2013. It is the 10th time a Chattanooga player has won the award and the first since Shanara Hollinquest in 2010. Hall finished the season in the top-five in the SoCon in scoring (fifth), rebounding (third), assists (second), steals (second), free-throw percentage (third) and minutes played (fourth).
The senior from New Tazwell, Tenn., averaged 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game for a Chattanooga squad that went a perfect 18-0 in conference play and currently holds the fourth-longest winning streak in the nation at 22 games.
Carson coached a Furman team picked by the coaches to finish sixth in the SoCon in the preseason to the No. 2 seed in the upcoming SoCon tournament. The Paladins finished with a winning record for the first time since 2004-05 in Carson’s fourth year at the helm.
Rhodes averaged 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Phoenix in the regular season. The North Charleston, S.C., native was selected as the CRONS Freshman of the week three times, tied for the most selections this season.
Chattanooga placed a league-high three players on the all-conference team, with Alex Black and Ashlen Dewart joining Hall on the All-SoCon roster. Davidson and Furman each notched two all-conference selections. Dakota Dukes and Laura Murray were Davidson’s representatives, while Furman’s Brittany Hodges and Holli Wilkins were selected to the team. Appalachian State’s Maryah Sydnor, Elon’s Kelsey Harris and Georgia Southern’s Anna Claire Knight round out the All-SoCon selections.
Rhodes is joined on the all-freshman team by teammate Lauren Brown, Furman’s Whitney Bunn, Samford’s Hannah Nichols and Chattanooga’s Chelsey Shumpert.
Samford’s Shelby Campbell, a senior guard from Murfreesboro, Tenn., was named the recipient of the Ann Lashley Inspiration Award. This award honors a student-athlete or coach who has shown outstanding courage or service. It is presented in memory of former Elon women’s basketball associate head coach Ann Lashley, who passed away on November 10, 2005 after a six-month battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
As a junior in 2012-13, Shelby Campbell was Samford’s leading scorer until she tore her ACL in a game at Auburn in late December. Despite being unable to play, Campbell continued to be a leader off the court for the Samford team. As a senior this season, Campbell was once again one of the leaders of the team before breaking her knee cap in a game at Appalachian State this January. Since having surgery to repair her knee, Campbell has continued to be an emotional leader for the young Samford team. In her first two seasons in a Samford uniform, Campbell was a key member of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back SoCon Tournament championship teams. In her sophomore season in 2011-12, she was named the MVP of the SoCon Tournament.
The 2014 Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament begins Friday, March 7 at 11:00 a.m. at Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C. The championship game is scheduled for Monday, March 10 at 5:00 p.m.
2014 SoCon Women’s Basketball Awards
All-Conference Team
Maryah Sydnor, Appalachian State
Dakota Dukes, Davidson
Laura Murray, Davidson
Kelsey Harris, Elon
Brittany Hodges, Furman
Holli Wilkins, Furman
Anna Claire Knight, Georgia Southern
Alex Black, Chattanooga
Ashlen Dewart, Chattanooga
Taylor Hall, Chattanooga
All-Freshmen Team
Lauren Brown, Elon
Jennifer Rhodes, Elon
Whitney Bunn, Furman
Hannah Nichols, Samford
Chelsey Shumpert, Chattanooga
Player of the Year
Taylor Hall, Chattanooga
Defensive Player of the Year
Taylor Hall, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year
Jennifer Rhodes, Elon
Coach of the Year
Jackie Carson, Furman
Ann Lashley Inspiration Award
Shelby Campbell, Samford