Saskatchewan’s Sarah Crooks earned her second consecutive Copp. Crooks, a 23-year-old arts and science major from Fife Lake, Sask. Was the fifth player in history to capture at least two Nan Copp Awards as CIS MVP and the fourth back-to-back recipient. She is also the 10th straight winner from the Canada West conference. In her final varsity season, the fifth-year forward was selected as an All-Canadian for the fourth time, including first-team nods three years running, after leading the nation in rebounding for the third consecutive campaign (13.2 rpg) and finishing second in scoring for the second straight season (25.7 ppg). Her 13.2 rebound-per-game average ranks third in Canada West history and seventh on the CIS all-time list, and allowed her to edge her closest Canada West rival by four rebounds per outing this season. The six-foot-two senior was also third in the country in both field goal percentage (57.8) and minutes played (35.32 mpg) and racked up 22 double-doubles (points and rebounds) in 27 regular schedule and playoff contests as she led the Huskies to a 15-7 conference record, good for second place in the Canada West Central Division, and the second round of the playoffs. A senior national team member (2004-present) who has represented Canada at the FIBA World Championships in Brazil in September 2006 and at the 2003 FISU Summer Universiade in Korea, Crooks finishes her career as the all-time Canada West leading scorer and third on the CIS list with 1,999 points, and as the CIS record holder with 1,181 rebounds. “What makes Sarah so special is her ability to consistently add new dimensions to her game year after year,” said Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis. “Despite being the focal point of our opposition’s defense for the past three seasons, she has continually raised her offensive production each year. Great players rise to the occasion when the pressure is on and Sarah has done that each and every year. She is the type of player coaches dream about and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Sarah over these five seasons.”
Rookie University of Alberta coach
Scott Edwards was named the Peter Ennis Award winner. Edwards is the third
Pandas head coach to capture the Peter Ennis Award, following Trix Baker in
1998-99 and Sherry Melney in 1985-86. In his first season on the job, the 2005-06
CCAA national college coach of the year guided the Pandas to the Canada West Central
Division title with a 16-6 record, a seven-win improvement from the two
previous campaigns, a silver-medal finish at the conference Final Four and a
first appearance at the CIS nationals since 2001. “We are extremely pleased
with how Scott has taken on the leadership of the Pandas on an interim basis,”
commented Alberta Director of Athletics, Dale Schulha. “He has built on the
foundation that Trix Baker had established for the program and has implemented
a style of play that he expects from his student-athletes. Scott has made a
seamless transition to the CIS level and we are very fortunate to have him as
part of our coaching staff.”
The Defensive player of the year
was awarded to the University of Manitoba’s Rachel Hart, a native of Hamilton
Ont. Hart, 21, is the first Bison to claim the defensive-player-of-the-year
award since its inception in 2001-02. The fourth-year guard was second in
Canada West during the regular season averaging 3.41 steals per game, 13th in defensive
rebounds with 4.18 per match and fifth with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.57
while playing 29 minutes per outing. A team co-captain for the third consecutive
year, the five-foot-eight physical education student had five games of six or
more steals during the campaign, including a season-high 11 against Victoria,
and grabbed seven or more defensive boards on four occasions. “Rachel’s defense
is a major contributor to our team’s success. She is often called upon to guard
our opponent’s best offensive players and is capable of switching defensive
assignments in mid-game,” stated Manitoba coach Pam Danis. “Although she is
only five-foot-eight, Rachel is frequently assigned to guard much bigger
players and she has developed into one of the best post defenders in our
league. One of her greatest gifts as a defender is her ability to read passing
lanes, which aids in her steal totals.”
The Kathy Shields Award as the national rookie of the year issued to Laurel Weigl of Simon Fraser and a native of Stony Plain, Alta. Weigl is the first Clan in history to receive top-rookie honours. The six-foot-four arts student made an immediate impact on perennial national contender Simon Fraser as an 18-year-old, moving into a starting role at the midway mark of the campaign and starting the final ten regular season games. The Memorial Composite High School graduate, who played with Canada’s Under-17 team before arriving at SFU, ended up leading the highest-scoring team in the country and finishing ninth in Canada West with a 14.2 point-per-game average while shooting over 56 per cent from the field (56.7), good for fourth in the conference, and finishing second on the Clan with six rebounds per outing. “Laurelle has been a growing force all year,” said SFU coach Bruce Langford. “Her presence on the court forces opponents to double team and allows other players time and space. Her work to get better is unparalleled, which has allowed her to become more dominant both on the boards and the score sheet. She has soft touch on her shot, a quick drive and is able to use either hand effectively.”
Joining Crooks on the 1st-team All-Canadian squad were: Lindsay DeGroot (McMaster); Laure Pitfield (Bishop’s); Katherine Quackenbush (Memorial); and Erica McGuinness (U.B.C.). …………………………………………………… DeGroot from Thedford, Ont. …………………………………………………… Pitfield, from Ottawa, Ont. …………………………………………………… Quackenbush, from Halifax, N.S. …………………………………………………… McGuinness, from North Vancouver, B.C.
The 2nd-team featured: Uzo Asagwara (Winnipeg); Cassandra Carpenter (Laurentian); Amanda Anderson (Western); Nathifa Weekes (McGill); and Marie-Michelle Genois (Laval). …………………………………………………… Asagwara, from Winnipeg, led the nation in scoring for the consecutive season with 28.0 points per game, the highest average in CIS in 12 years and the fourth best in history. Asagwara, recently completed her fifth and final year of university basketball leading the CIS in scoring with 28.05 points per game. It is the second consecutive year Asagwara has led the nation in scoring. Last season her scoring average was 24.5 points per game. Uzo scored 30 plus points during the regular season including a Canada West Conference high 38 points vs Victoria (November 18, 2006). She was named the University of Winnipeg Female Athlete of the Week five times during the 2006-07 season. Asagwara, a four time Academic All-Canadian was named a First Team Canada West All-Star last week. Asagwara was also named a 2005-06 Canada West First Team All-Star and Second Team All-Canadian. She was honored as the University of Winnipeg Female Athlete of the Year in 2005-06. …………………………………………………… Carpenter, from Kanata, Ont., was the CIS rookie of the year in 2004 and a first-team All-Canadian for the third consecutive year. …………………………………………………… Weekes, from Brossard, Que. …………………………………………………… Genois, from Cap-Sante, Que. …………………………………………………… Anderson was the nation’s rookie in the year in 2006.
Joining Weigl and Genois on the all-rookie team were: Gabrielle Gheyssen (Regina); Alex Legge (Dalhousie) and Katie Goggins (Laurentian). …………………………………………………… Gheyssen from Indian Head, Sask. …………………………………………………… Legge from Mahone Bay, N.S. …………………………………………………… Goggins from Hammer, Ont.