Cherie Mills, Jasmine Young Earn All-Conference USA Honors
February 27, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2007
Irving, Texas - UAB's Carmen Guzman, Tulsa's Jillian Robbins, Rice's Lauren Neaves, three of the most decorated players in league history, were among those named to the All-Conference USA teams, the league office announced Tuesday. Guzman, Robbins and Neaves were first team all-conference selections a year ago. The 1,500-plus point scorers were also runaway picks for the same accolade this season, according to the voting totals. C-USA women's basketball coaches, sports information directors and selected media members participate in the voting.
Guzman led the league in scoring for most of the season, until a healthy Tye Jackson of Houston returned to the court. She surpassed the 1,500-point mark this season and has ranked among the top 10 NCAAs offensive threats with a 21.2 points per game average. Guzman's offensive output ranks second-best in the league and her 3-point field goal percentage is ninth best at .356. The 5-9 senior guard has scored in double figures in 28-straight games.
Robbins is the most decorated player in Tulsa history. The 2006 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year leads the league in steals per game (3.32) and rebounds (11.7) plus ranks third in scoring (19.8). All three figures rank among the NCAA Top 20, including No. 6 in boards per game. Robbins is one of three C-USA players to produce a triple-double and the only active player with more than 2,000-career points. The Spring, Texas, native had her No. 14 jersey retired during the final regular season home game at the Donald W. Reynolds Center (Feb. 17).
Neaves, Rice's all-time leading rebounder with more than 1,100 boards, averaged 15.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season. She's one of three players that average a double-double, along with Robbins and Marshall's Modupe Ishola. Neaves also surpassed the 1,600-point mark earlier this season to rank fourth on the Owls' all-time scoring chart. She currently ranks 11th in the NCAAs in rebounds per game and has been named C-USA Player of the week twice. Neaves' 13 double-doubles is third most among C-USA players this year.
Jackson was also named first team all-conference. Despite missing the first six games with an injury, Jackson bounced back to average a league-best 21.7 points per game, which ranks seventh nationally. She has scored at least 30 points in three C-USA games and scored 10-or-more points in each of her 20 starts with 13 20-plus point games. With seven double-doubles, she also ranks sixth in the league in assists (4.15) and ninth in steals (2.10) per game.
Tulane's Jamie Montagnino closes out the first team after an impressive season in which she averaged 15.2 points per game. She leads the league and ranks fifth nationally in free throw percentage (.903). Montagnino has made 102-of-113 free throws but her greatest threat is her ability to can the long ball. The 3-point specialist is third among C-USA players in 3-point field goal percentage (.390) and sixth for threes per game, at nearly two per game.
Marshall's Modupe Ishola, the best shooter in C-USA this year, earned second team all-conference honors. Ishola shot 58.2 percent from the floor, hitting 152-of-264 shots, and averaged a double-double with 13.7 ppg and 10.3 rpg. SMU's Janielle Dodds, who blocked 39 shots and recorded six double-doubles, also made the second team. UAB's Diamond Rogers picks up her first all-conference honors after dishing out 64 assists and pocketing 48 steals in addition to scoring 14.9 points per game. East Carolina teammates Jasmine Young and Cherie Mills repeat their all-conference second team merits. The duo were among the league leaders in several different categories. Young ranked fourth in assists (5.21) and Mills was fourth in field goal percentage (.486).
Southern Miss sophomores Amber Eugene and Kendra Reed both garnered third team all-conference honors as did Tulane's D'Aundra Henry and Ashley Langford. UTEP's Jareica Hughes was also voted onto the third team.
Young was also named to the Conference USA All-Defensive team. Young, 2006 C-USA co-Freshman of the Year, tops the Pirate charts in assists (5.21), steals (2.52) and minutes (35.2) per game. Her assist and steal averages rank third and fifth-best, respectively, in the league.
2007 Conference USA All-Conference Awards
First Team
Carmen Guzman, UAB, G, 5-9, Sr., New York/Murry Bergtraum
Tye Jackson, Houston, G, 5-10, Jr., Houston, Texas/Purdue
Jami Montagnino, Tulane, G, 5-8, Sr., Baton Rouge, La./Christian Life Academy
Lauren Neaves, Rice, F, 6-2, Sr., Cooper City, Fla./Cooper City
Jillian Robbins, Tulsa, F, 6-1, Sr., Spring, Texas/Klein
Second Team
Janielle Dodds, SMU, P, 6-3, Jr., Fairfax, Va./West Springfield
Modupe Ishola, Marshall, C, 6-2, Sr., Washington, D.C./H.D. Woodson
Cherie Mills, East Carolina, C, 6-4, Sr., Ayden, N.C./Ayden Grifton
Diamond Rogers, UAB, F, 5-11, Jr., Jackson, Miss./Murrah
Jasmine Young, East Carolina, G, 5-5, Soph., Richmond, Va./Monacan
Third Team
Amber Eugene, Southern Miss, G, 5-7, Soph., St. Rose, La./Destrehan
D'Aundra Henry, Tulane, G, 5-8, Sr., Houma, La./Ellender
Jareica Hughes, UTEP, G, 5-3, Fr., Southfield, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup
Ashley Langford, Tulane, G, 5-5, Soph., Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg
Kendra Reed, Southern Miss, G/F, 5-10, Soph., Bay St. Louis, Miss./Bay St. Louis
2007 Conference USA All-Defensive Teams
All-Defensive Team
Jillian Robbins, Tulsa, F, 6-1, Sr., Spring, Texas/Klein
D'Aundra Henry, Tulane, G, 5-8, Sr., Houma, La./Ellender
Lauren Neaves, Rice, F, 6-2, Sr., Cooper City, Fla./Cooper City
Jasmine Young, East Carolina, G, 5-5, Soph., Richmond, Va./Monacan
Jareica Hughes, UTEP, G, 5-3, Fr., Southfield, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup
