Robyn Buna of Simon Fraser was selected the Nan Copp winner as player of the year. The fourth-year forward, from Kelowna, B.C., became the fourth SFU recipient of the Nan Copp award since the Clan joined CIS in 2000-01. She was also the 13th straight player from the Canada West conference – including teams from the now defunct GPAC – to receive the distinction. A member of the Clan’s recruiting class of 2006-07, Buna ends her four-year career at Simon Fraser with a first nomination to the first all-Canadian team, a year after earning a spot on the second CIS all-star squad. The 5-11 forward led the Clan in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game – good for 12th in Canada West – and was the second most accurate three-point shooter in the nation, connecting at a 48.8 rate. She was also first on the team in minutes played (26 per game) and free throw percentage, her 84.0% success rate from the charity stripe ranking sixth in the country. A Canada West all-star each of the past three seasons, the kinesiology major was at her best at the conference Final Four where she averaged 21.5 points, including a perfect outing in the title match when she scored 20 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the field and 4-for-4 at the free throw line in a 92-62 gold-medal rout of No. 4-ranked Regina. The Clan finished first in the Canada West standings with a 17-1 mark, posted a 28-1 overall record against CIS opponents, and claimed a second straight Canada West banner to advance to the national championship for the ninth year in a row. Earlier this winter, Simon Fraser ran its record streak to 54 consecutive overall victories against CIS rivals before suffering its lone loss of the campaign against Victoria. A two-time CIS champion in her first three seasons and an Academic All-Canadian every year since she arrived at SFU, Buna represented Canada at the 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia. “Robyn has grown every year, adding important skills to her repertoire,” said SFU head coach Bruce Langford. “She shoots the ball incredibly well, she can shoot in traffic and has improved her pull-up. She is a humble, brilliant young woman who is well deserving of this award. Buna has matured into a great shooter who can also score off the dribble. This year we have had injuries at the point and she has stepped in very nicely at the point. Her ability to hit the big shot at the key time has been instrumental in our success.” Buna is also an outstanding student-athlete at SFU, posting an incredible GPA of 4.21 on a 4.33 scale, and volunteers with a variety of organizations and initiatives.
Victoria’s Brian Cheng was chosen the Ennis winner as coach of the year. In his ninth season at the helm, Cheng joined his mentor, Kathy Shields (1991-92, 1979-80), and Mike Gallo (1977-78) as UVic coaches to receive the Peter Ennis award. Cheng led his troops to second place in the ultra-competitive Canada West Pacific Division with a 14-4 record, the team’s best winning percentage (.777) in 10 years. The Vikes were ranked nationally all season long – topping at No. 5 – and were the only team to beat No. 1 and Pacific rival Simon Fraser, ending the Clan’s 54-game winning streak against CIS opponents with a 63-61 decision in their conference finale. A native of Victoria, Cheng has compiled a 104-82 conference record since his head coaching debut in 2001-02 and has led the Vikes to eight straight playoff appearances. In 2002-03, he guided Victoria to a CIS-record ninth Bronze Baby trophy as national champion. Prior to taking over the program, he was an assistant coach under the legendary Shields for five years, helping the Vikes win a pair of CIS titles (2000, 1998) and five Canada West championships. “Brian is a tremendously hard-working coach and it is satisfying to see him recognized with this award,” said UVic Director of Athletics & Recreation, Clint Hamilton. “Regardless of opponent, Brian works hard to prepare our Vikes team to be in the best position to succeed, and I believe this is recognized by his peers in being awarded this distinction.” “Brian is a tremendously hard-working coach and it is satisfying to see him recognized with this award,” said UVic Vikes Director of Athletics & Recreation Clint Hamilton. “Regardless of opponent, Brian works hard to prepare our Vikes team to be in the best position to succeed, and I believe this is recognized by his peers in being awarded this distinction.” Cape Breton’s Fabian McKenzie, Laval’s Linda Marquis and Carleton’s Taffe Charles were also nominated for the award.
Katie Miyazaki of Simon Fraser was chosen defensive player of the year. Miyazaki, from Richmond, B.C., became the second SFU standout to be named CIS defensive player of the year. In her third season with the Clan, the 5-foot-9 swing guard evolved into perhaps the best all-around player on the talented Simon Fraser roster. Third on the team in scoring with an average of 9.7 points per game, the bachelor of science major was the Canada West leader in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) in conference play and led the Clan in assists (66), steals (47), blocked shots (13) and rebounding (5.1 per game). She is the cornerstone of an SFU defence that finished first in Canada West and third in the nation allowing only 54.9 points per contest. “Katie excels in several defensive areas: she blocks shots, she gets steals, she defends opponents’ best players and dives after loose balls like a warrior,” said Langford. “She is a complete defensive package. She is a fireball and is able to generate a big play during a crucial moment, and is fearless, which is a quality as a defender you absolutely need.” A trio of guards, Cape Breton’s Nicole Works of Truro, N.S., UQAM’s Stéphanie Youakim of Montreal and Ryerson’s Lacey O’Sullivan of Port Colborne, Ont., were also in the running for defensive-MVP honours. On the defensive end, Miyazaki was fourth in the Canada West in steals, ninth in blocked shots and led the Clan with an average of 5.1 rebounds per game. A ball-hawk, Miyazaki’s defence was key in a come-from-behind win over UBC earlier in the season, forcing a pair of late turnovers to allow the Clan to extend their record winning streak. “Katie excels in several defensive areas: she blocks shots, she gets steals, she defends opponents’ best players and dives after loose balls like a warrior,” said Langford. “She is a complete defensive package.”
Windsor centre Jessica Clemençon, Windsor was chosen the Shields winner as rookie of the year. Clemencon, a 20-year-old from Saint-Rambert, France, became the first Lancer to capture the award. The 6-3 post finished among the OUA leaders in almost every major statistical category. The arts and English student was sixth in conference scoring (14th in CIS) with 15.6 points per game, eighth in rebounding (7.3 per game), fourth in both field goal (49.5) and free throw (80.2) percentage, as well as eighth in blocked shots (26). She registered seven “double-doubles” during the regular season as the No. 2-ranked Lancers posted an OUA-best 21-1 record for the second straight year en route to claiming a second consecutive conference banner. One of the toughest match-ups in the country due to her combination of size and skill, Clemençon was the only freshman named to the OUA West first all-star team. “We are very fortunate that Jessica decided to attend the University of Windsor, as we knew we were getting a great post player who could make an immediate impact,” said Windsor coach Chantal Vallée. “She adjusted very well to Canada and exceeded our expectations. She is fiercely competitive, as well as a great student and a very well-rounded person. Her impact on our program’s success this year has been tremendous and we look forward to her continued growth in the years to come.” Saint Mary’s guard Justine Colley of East Preston, N.S., Laval post Marie-Pascale Nadeau of Lévis, Que., and Simon Fraser forward Kristina Collins of Port Coquitlam, B.C., were the other finalists for the award.
Joining Buna on
the first team were Kelsey Hodgson (Cape Breton); Amanda Anderson (Western);
Marie-Michelle Genois (Laval); and Lindsay DeGroot (Saskatchewan). ……………………………………………………
Hodgson, from Fredericton, N.B., was the lone returnee from the 2009 first
unit. The fifth-year senior, who led the nation in scoring for a second straight
season with an average of 22.1 points per game, became a three-time all-Canadian
and won her second consecutive AUA MVP award. Hodgson became the all-time
scoring leader in school history this season (1,588 career points) and led
Canadian Interuniversity Sport in scoring once again with a 22.1 points per
game average. Hodgson eclipsed the 30-point mark on three occasions this year
and scored over 20 points in 14 of the Capers 20 regular season games. She also
led the conference in steals (3.0 per game), free-throw percentage (90.4 per
cent) and three-point field goals made with 52. Hodgson and former Capers
standout Janice Moseychuck are the only players from CBU to be named league
MVP. Moseychuck won the award in 1995-96. No Atlantic University Sport player
has ever won the Nan Copp Award as the CIS Outstanding Player of the Year.
…………………………………………………… Anderson, from Dover Centre, Ont., The fifth-year guard
led all players in the division with 388 points, an average of 18.0 points per
game. She is one of OUA’s top scorers from behind the three-point arc with a
40.8 percent success rate on 60-of-147 attempts. Anderson also contributed 91
rebounds, 68 assists and 41 steals. She also led OUA with an 84.4 percent free
throw percentage on 54-of-64 attempts shooting from the charity stripe.
Anderson is a West first-team all-star. …………………………………………………… Genois, from
Cap-Sante, Que., moved up from the 2009 second unit and became a four-time
all-Canadian in as many university campaigns, including another first-team nod
in 2007-08. Genois was named QSSF MVP award. The former CEGEP de Sainte-Foy
Dynamiques standout, Genois was previously named Quebec University Basketball
League (QUBL) player of the year at the conclusion of the 2007-08 season. This
year, Genois finished 2nd in league scoring, averaging 13,8 points per game.
The graduate student in molecular and cellular biology shot 77,8 % from the
charity stripe and dominated the glass, hauling in 146 rebounds for an average
of 9,1 per contest. The former QUBL rookie of the year (2006-07) led the
conference in blocked shots with 26 in 16 games. She previously won the
Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) women’s basketball player of the
year award in 2005-06. …………………………………………………… DeGroot, from Thedford, Ont., transferred
to Saskatchewan for her fifth and final year of eligibility, was a first-team
all-Canadian with McMaster in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.
The 2nd-team All-Canadian squad featured: Kayla Dykstra (Victoria); Alise Brown (Acadia); Chanelle St-Amour (Laval); Hannah Sunley-Paisley (Ottawa); and Nicki Schutz (Toronto). …………………………………………………… Dykstra, from Calgary, Alta., was a 1st-team All-Canadian in 2009. …………………………………………………… Brown, from Halifax, N.S., led the AUS in scoring two years ago as a member of the Saint Mary’s Huskies before transferring to Acadia, averaged 21.1 points per game. …………………………………………………… St-Amour, from Montreal, Que., was a 1st-team All-Canadian in 2009.
…………………………………………………… Sunley-Paisley, from Toronto, Ont., was named the 2010 OUA East player of the year. She led all of OUA with 415 points scored, averaging 18.9 points over 22 games. Sunley-Paisley was also second in rebounding with 237 boards, averaging 10.8 per game for a season double-double. She was also near the top of the division rankings with 52 steals, 32 blocks and a 49.3 percent field goal percentage on 171-of-347 shooting. Sunley-Paisley also headlined the East first-team all-stars. …………………………………………………… Schutz, from Toronto, Ont.
Joining Clemencon on the all-rookie team were: Kristina Collins (Simon Fraser); Justine Colley (Saint Mary’s); Marie-Pascale Nadeau (Laval); and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (Simon Fraser). …………………………………………………… Collins, from Port Coquitlam, B.C., started 16 of 17 conference games she played this season and made an immediate impact on the nation’s top team. Due to a knee injury to senior point guard Lisa Tindle, Collins has been required to step into the point guard role this season and has done an incredible job, posting the Canada West’s second-best assist-turnover ratio, behind only teammate Katie Miyazaki, and had 57 assists. Collins is also a shutdown defender, and registered 37 steals in only 17 games. “After losing our point guard for most of the season, Kristina has battled injuries herself and performed admirably,” said coach Bruce Langford. “She has one of the top assist turnover ratios in the country and is the best first year defender we have ever had.” …………………………………………………… Colley, a 5’9” guard from East Preston, NS, played in all 20 of SMU’s regular season games this year and led all CIS freshmen in scoring with an average of 20.9 points per game. Colley scored 20 or more points in 12 games this season, including three 30-plus point efforts. She played an average of 32 minutes per game in her first year and also led the Huskies in steals (2.5 per game) and assists (3.7 per game). The last Saint Mary’s player to win this award was Kelsey Daley who took home the honour in 2005-06. St. FX’s Theresa McCuish (1991-92), Dalhousie’s Carolyn Wares (1993-94) and SMU’s Julie Galipeau (1999-00) are the only Atlantic conference players to have been named the CIS Rookie of the Year. …………………………………………………… Nadeau, from Levis, Que., was the Quebec rookie of the year. The first year centre dominated the glass finishing her inaugural campaign 4th in league rebounding with an average of 7.4 boards per match. The 6’2” microbiology student was a defensive force for the Rouge et Or blocking 21 shots in 16 games played. At the other end of the court, Nadeau shot 50% from the field and averaged 8,9 points per game, ranking her 16th overall in the QUBL. Last season she was named as the most valuable player at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) women’s basketball championship in addition to earning the nod as the Female Athlete of the Year Across All CCAA Sports. Nadeau and current Rouge et Or teammate Marie-Michelle Genois represented Canada at the Francophone Games in 2009.
…………………………………………………… Raincock-Ekunwe, from Vernon, B.C.