University of Delaware Women’s Basketball Hands Out Annual Awards, Honors Senior Eva Riddick
April 28, 2011
Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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NEWARK, Del. -- – On Thursday evening, the University of Delaware women’s basketball team held its annual awards banquet, where it named the Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player, as well as handed out the Joyce Perry Coaches Award. Senior Eva Riddick was also honored during the ceremony, which was held at the Executive Banquet and Conference Center.
Sophomore guard/forward and Honorable Mention All-American Elena Delle Donne was named the 2011 Most Valuable Player, while junior Jocelyn Bailey was named the Most Improved Player.
Junior Meghan McLean was given the Joyce Perry Coaches Award, named for long-time Delaware head Joyce Perry, who was at the helm of the program for 18 seasons from 1978 until 1996.
The Blue Hen Basketball Club recognized Delle Donne and fellow sophomore Lauren Carra, a third-team All Colonial Athletic Association selection. Both (pictured at right) were presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented by Connie Cecil.
Delle Donne was also given a commemorative basketball, marking her 1,000th point, which she scored on Feb. 3, 2011 against Northeastern University in a 52-37 Delaware victory. She became the fastest player in both Delaware and CAA history to reach the benchmark, doing so in just 38 career games, the second-fewest games in NCAA history.
Head coach Tina Martin was also honored, as associate head coach Jeanine Radice presented her with a trophy ball for becoming the winningest basketball coach in Delaware history, men’s or women’s, logging her 267th victory on Jan. 6, 2011. On that night in Boston, the Hens defeated Northeastern on the road 61-51. Martin was also given a commemorative ball for her 275th win, which came on March 2 in a 75-67 victory in the Bob Carpenter Center over Towson University in the regular season finale.
Following the awards presentations, a highlight film was shown, featuring Delaware’s magical run to the CAA finals. During their four games in four days, Delaware knocked of Northeastern 74-66 in the first round, followed by a pair of upsets over second-seeded Old Dominion University and No. 3 UNC Wilmington. In the second round, Delaware stunned ODU 72-55, halting a 10-game skid against the Lady Monarchs.
Less than 24 hours later in the semifinals, Delaware avenged a regular season loss to the Seahawks with a dominating 62-47 win to reach the CAA finals for just the third time.
The Hens were rewarded for their ninth 20-plus-win season under Martin, earning a second-straight berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The Hens finished the 2010-11 season with an overall record of 20-14, setting a school record for games played in a season, competing 34 times over the course of the year.
Riddick capped her career having played in 116 games, ranking her fifth all-time in games played. She saw action in 33 games this season, which is fifth for a single season in Delaware history. Riddick, a native of Rochester, N.Y., led the team in blocking averaging in 2008-09, knocking away 1.2 opponent shots per game. Riddick posted 70 career blocks, good enough for 12th all-time at Delaware. She landed in the record books with 370 career rebounds, ranking her 38th all-time.
Delle Donne, who played in just 22 games after being diagnosed with Lyme Disease, still had an outstanding season, leading the Hens with 557 points, averaging 25.3 points an outing. She set a new Delaware mark, knocking down 52 straight free throws, boosting her season percentage to a school record 94.4 percent, hitting 166 of her 177 attempts.
For her efforts during the season, Delle Donne, a native of nearby Wilmington, Del., was named first team All-CAA, while being selected as the league’s Player of the Week on four occasions. She was also selected as the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association John J. Brady Athlete of the Year.
Bailey, who hails from Kensington, Md., showed true grit throughout the season and was a key contributor to the Hens’ success in the CAA tournament, playing the final three games with a protective mask to protect a broken nose. She played and started in 33 games this season, missing just one with concussion symptoms. During those games, she amassed 243 points, averaging 7.4 per game, a 2.4-point improvement from her average in 2009-10.
Bailey was a force this season at the free throw line, hitting 81 of her 102 attempts and was ranked 96th in the country with a free throw percentage of 80.6, improving over 20 percent from last season, when she went 43-72 (59.7). She was third on the team with 163 rebounds, grabbing 4.9 per game.
Carra capped a solid sophomore campaign, playing and starting in all 34 games, a single-season Delaware record. She saw action in 1,123 minutes this season, also a school single-season record. Carra joined Delle Donne as the only two Blue Hens to average double-digit points, posting 10.8 per game. Her top outing of the year came on January 2, as she dropped 29 points on the road at Hofstra University.
Following her outstanding second season, Carra was named third-team All-CAA. Helping Delaware split its results at the Hilton Garden Inn Hokie Classic, Carra was named to the All-Tournament Team.
McLean was a versatile player for the Hens this season, appearing in 30 games. An Honorable Mention CAA All-Academic selection, she was a threat on defense, coming up with 19 steals, while chipping in on offense with 24 assists. McLean also hit 76.9 percent of her free throws, knocking downing 10 of her 13 attempts. McLean was also an ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American nominee.
In her closing remarks, Martin also noted several marquee match ups on the schedule for Delaware, including a rematch with NCAA qualifier Penn State University. Tentatively scheduled for the Blue Hens will be the ACC’s Wake Forest University, BIG EAST foes Villanova University and Providence College. Delaware is also scheduled to participate in the University of Maryland’s tournament in December.
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