Windsor post Jessica Clemençon became the third player in CIS women’s basketball history to win both the Katie Shields and Nan Copp Awards, as rookie and player of the year, respectively, but the first to accomplish the feat in back-to-back seasons. The 6-3 arts and English major and native of Saint-Rambert, France, finished the regular season among conference and national leaders in almost every statistical category. She scored an OUA-leading 19.0 points (419) per game, which ranked third in the nation. Clemençon also averaged 8.2 rebounds (13th in the CIS), as well as 2.0 (44) blocks, which was second among CIS leaders. She was the top free-throw shooter in the OUA and fourth in the nation at 85.6 per cent, while her success rate on field goals (55.1%) ranked fifth across the country. She also had 45 assists, shot .856 from the line and stole 16 balls. She helped lead the Lancers to a first-place (20-2) record in the OUA West and the CIS crown. “Jessica came into the season in superb condition and really took her game to a new level. She is our most talented player and her statistics speak for themselves,” said Windsor coach Chantal Vallée. “She has consistently been our best player in our biggest games and she always seems to come up with the big play when we need it. I challenged her to be a better all-around athlete this year and taking that challenge seriously, she excelled in every aspect.” For the second year, Clemencon was an OUA West first team all-star.
Lisa Thomaidis of Saskatchewan was selected recipient of the Ennis award. She led the Huskies to a school-best 22-2 conference mark including 20 straight wins to close out the regular season, and 27 consecutive victories overall. It was the longest win streak in team history and the best in the country this season. The Huskies spent the entire campaign in the national Top 10 including the last eight weeks at No. 1. After finishing first in the conference standings, they made the playoffs for the eighth straight season and claimed the Canada West title to advance to the Final 8 for the fifth time in six years. “Lisa is a wonderful example of the type of coach we have here at the University of Saskatchewan,” said director of athletics Basil Hughton. “She provides a great student-athlete experience for her players by ensuring their attention to the classroom and the court. She is hardworking, a dedicated leader and is truly committed to Huskie Athletics. The success of our women’s basketball program is a credit to her. Lisa is well-deserving of this award.” She won her fourth Canada West coaching award. Thomaidis’ led the team to their first-ever conference championship in 2005-06 and was previously named Canada West Coach of the Year in 2004, 2006 and 2009, winning CIS honours in 2009.
Calgary native and New Brunswick rookie Claire Colborne was chosen recipient of the Shields award. The 18-year-old from St. Mary’s High School in Calgary started all 20 conference games, averaging 18.6 points per game, which ranked fourth in the Atlantic, fifth in the country, and first amongst CIS freshmen. The 6-0 guard also finished second in the AUS and fifth in the nation in three-point shooting (45.5), and was the V-Reds’ best free-throw shooter with a 74.8 per cent success rate. Colborne netted 20 or more points 11 times, including a season-high of 29, to help UNB to a 14-6 record and second place in the AUS standings. “Claire had an immediate impact on our team, was a scoring threat from our very first game and has continued that trend,” said UNB coach Jeff Speedy. “She led all CIS rookies in scoring by a wide margin and to be ranked fifth overall in CIS scoring as a freshman is truly a great accomplishment.”
Saskatchewan forward Katie Miyazaki was chosen Defensive Player of the Year. Miyazaki, a member of the Simon Fraser Clan a year earlier when she won the same award, was allowed to transfer and play with Saskatchewan when SFU joined the NCAA. A health sciences senior, Miyazaki made an immediate impact with the Huskies, who held their opponents to 59.5 points per game in conference play, third best in Canada West. A two-time national champion with SFU, she set a team record in her first campaign in Saskatoon with 87 steals and led the country with an average of 3.63 steals per game. Also a threat under the basket, the 5-9 veteran guard finished eighth among Canada West leaders in offensive (2.3), defensive (4.5) and total rebounds (6.8) per outing. Miyazaki, who also chipped in offensively with 13 points a game, helped the Huskies finish first in Canada West with a 22-2 record and capture the second CWUAA banner in team history. “Katie’s athleticism and versatility enable her to routinely guard any position from one through five,” said head coach Lisa Thomaidis. “She is tough, fearless and has an exceptional ability to anticipate the play. Her on-ball defence and ability to come up with steals, rebounds and loose balls, at the most critical of times, have had a tremendous impact on our success this season.”
Joining Clemencon as 1st-team All-Canadians were: Kim Tulloch (Saskatchewan); Amanda Sharpe (New Brunswick); Anneth Him-Lazarenko (McGill); and Justine Colley (Saint Mary’s). …………………………………………………… Tulloch, a 5th-year guard and pharmacy student from Regina, Sask., was a first-team all-Canadian in 2009. She was the top scorer in Canada West with a 16.9 ppg and Canada West player of the year. She also led the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.464), while adding 51 steals and 117 rebounds. Tulloch helped lead the Huskies to a best-ever 22-2 conference record, including a 20-game win streak, and Saskatchewan had the top offence in CIS, at 78 points per game. “Kim is quite simply one of the best basketball players in Huskies history,” said Huskies coach Lisa Thomaidis. “As unassuming as she appears, it is Kim’s competitive fire, athleticism and toughness that set her apart. She has had an incredible five years at the UofS.” …………………………………………………… Sharpe, 5th-year post and kinesiology student from Fredericton, N.B., finished second in the nation in scoring with a 19.7 ppg and was the AUAA player of the year. She was an AUS first-team all-star for the third consecutive season. She ranked second in the AUAA in field goal percentage (53.7 per cent), third in blocked shots (1.50 per game) and fifth in rebounding (7.8 rebounds per game). She registered a “double-double” in seven of 20 regular season games and scored 30 or more points on three occasions. “In my opinion, and I have heard this from coaches coast-to-coast, Amanda is one of the best post players in the country,” said UNB coach Jeff Speedy. “She is skilled, tough, and plays much bigger than her size. She has worked harder than any player I have ever coached and you can see the results as she keeps getting better every year.” …………………………………………………… Him-Lazarenko, a 3rd-year forward and education student from Laval, Que., was the top scorer in Quebec with a 15.6 ppg, and RSEQ player of the year after leading the Martlets to their first regular season crown since 1995-96. The former Vanier College Cheetah was second in the conference in rebounds per game with 8.6. The education student (with a concentration in social sciences) also posted the best shooting rate (.541). …………………………………………………… Colley, a 2nd-year guard and science student from East Preston, N.S., led the nation with a spectacular 25.8 points per game average.
The 2nd-team all-Canadians were: Hannah Sunley-Paisley (Ottawa); Joanna Zalesiak (Regina); Nicki Schutz (Toronto); Marie-Michelle Genois (Laval); and Matteke Hutzler (Western). …………………………………………………… Sunley-Paisley, a 4th-year post and arts student from Toronto, Ont., was the OUA East player of the year for the second consecutive year. She ranked fifth in the country in scoring, averaging 15.91 points per game. She added 253 rebounds, 34 assists, 35 steals and 42 blocks and was again an East first-team all-star. …………………………………………………… Zalesiak, a 3rd-year guard and kinesiology student from Gorzow, Poland. …………………………………………………… Schutz, a 5th-year forward and arts & science student from Etobicoke, Ont. …………………………………………………… Genois, a 5th-year post and biology student from Cap-Sante, Que., was chosen a CIS all-star for the fifth consecutive season, including first-team nods a year ago and in 2007-08. She led the RSEQ in rebounding with 10.6 rpg, 1.6 blocked shots per game and 7.4 defensive rebounds per match. The master’s student in Cellular and Molecular Biology and former Ste-Foy star posted an overall 4.18 grade point average on a scale of 4.33. …………………………………………………… Hutzler, a 5th-year 6-2 forward and health sciences student from Napanee, Ont., was the OUA West Defensive Player of the Year. She also had 41 steals, 16 blocks, 94 defensive rebounds and 299 points while being chosen an OUA West first team all-star.
Joining Colborne on the all-rookie team were: Stephanie Kleysen (Winnipeg); Kaylah Barrett (Concordia); Sarah Wierks (Fraser Valley); and Jill Stratton (Toronto). …………………………………………………… Kleysen, a 5-9 guard and science student from Winnipeg Vincent Massey was Canada West rookie of the year. She helped lead the Wesmen to a 20-4 regular season record, second place in the conference standings. Kleysen was the conference leader in rebounds, with 228 (9.5 per game). She also tied for the lead, registering six double-doubles, averaged 8.9 points per game and tallied a season-best 17 rebounds on two occasions. “Stephanie is very deserving of this award. She works hard, challenges herself to improve and is a great team player,” said Winnipeg head coach Tanya McKay. “To lead Canada West in rebounding as a freshman is a huge individual achievement. She played a big role in our program improving from last season.” …………………………………………………… Barrett, a guard and religion student from Brampton, Ont., was both rookie of the year and defensive MVP of the RSEQ. She had the best league-wide steals per game average (2.9) and was second in offensive rebounds with 3.8 per game. She was fourth overall in rebounding 7.6 while ranking ninth in the points per game with 11.5. …………………………………………………… Wierks, a forward and science studies student from Chilliwack, B.C. …………………………………………………… Stratton, a guard and FPEH student from Etobicoke, Ont., was OUA East rookie of the year. She played in all 22 games for the Blues, recording 192 points and 57 assists. Defensively, Stratton chipped in 59 rebounds, 55 steals and 10 blocks.