Grand Canyon’s Samantha Murphy named PacWest Player of the Year; HPU's Jeff Harada is Coach of Year; Laura Zasly, Johnna Brown honored

PHOENIX, AZ – When the head women’s basketball coaches of the Pacific West Conference selected Grand Canyon junior guard Samantha Murphy (Phoenix, AZ/Xavier Prep) the Preseason Player of the Year, they must have had an inkling they might be voting for her again in March.

2009-10 All-PacWest Team

Murphy was selected the 2009-10 PacWest Conference Player of the Year and an All-PacWest First Team choice for the third consecutive season after finishing the year as the conference’s leading scorer. She totaled 71 points in the voting process, beating out runner-up Laura Zasly (Foster City, CA/Aragon) - Notre Dame de Namur’s junior forward who splashed onto the scene this year - by four points.

The PacWest Player, Freshman, Newcomer and Coach of the Year, along with the 2009-10 All-PacWest Team, were announced by the conference media office in Phoenix, AZ, on Wednesday, March 17. Twenty student-athletes were selected for the all-conference squad this year - seven First Team choices, seven Second Team picks and six Honorable Mentions.

This year’s team features players from six different states - Arizona, California, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Nevada and Washington – and one foreign country in Australia.

Dixie State, Grand Canyon and Hawai‘i Pacific led the conference by placing four players each on the team, while Dominican (CA) and Academy of Art each earned All-PacWest selections in their first season of competition in the conference. NDNU boasted twin sisters on the All-PacWest First Team.

With student-athletes representing most of the Western United States, Hawai‘i and Alaska, and several foreign countries on PacWest women’s basketball rosters, the odds of more than one athlete from the same high school earning all-conference accolades is slim.

But in 2009-10, three high schools in three separate states earned that distinction. Konawaena High School in Hawai‘i claimed three All-PacWest selections, while Centennial High School in Las Vegas and Aragon High School in California earned two apiece.

Each year the head coaches from the PacWest nominate and vote for the All-PacWest Team and the league’s four major awards in a weighted balloting process. The top seven votegetters are named to the First Team, players ranking 8-14 are named Second Team, and any player receiving a vote earns Honorable Mention.

The PacWest Player of the Year is decided during all-conference voting. The player with the most points earns the honor. Players can receive a maximum of eight first-place votes because head coaches are restricted from voting for their own team members.

Murphy received five first-place votes while Zasly picked up two. Hawai‘i Pacific senior forward Genesis Lewis (Paramount, CA/Paramount) and HPU sophomore forward Mana Hopkins (Kona, HI/Konawaena) each received one first-place nod.

All four players, along with HPU junior forward Jazzmin Awa-Williams (Kona, HI/Konawaena), Dixie State freshman forward Deanna Daniels (North Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) and NDNU junior guard Katie Zasly (Foster City, CA/Aragon), were chosen for the All-PacWest First Team.

Murphy was one of four All-PacWest selections for Grand Canyon. She completed her junior year by averaging 19.0 points per game – 3.9 points higher than the next closest player. She also averaged 4.4 rebounds per game to rank 20^th in the league, while her ability to dole out assists at a clip of 3.4 per game left her sixth in the PacWest in helping others.

From the field, Murphy shot 43.4% (161 for 371) to stand 12^th on the season, while her premier free throw shooting ability saw her make 147 of 169 (87.0%) attempts - by far the most made and most attempted among the league’s leaders. She finished fourth in shooting from the charity stripe in 2009-10.

Murphy is a complete player who can also shoot the three and play cagey defense. She ranked fourth in steals per game (2.7) and fifth in blocked shots per contest (0.5) this season, while her 1.6 three-pointers made per game ranked sixth in the PacWest. She hit 43 of 120 (35.8%) long-distance attempts to end up eighth in three-point shooting.

Laura Zasly may have just missed out on the Player of the Year award to Murphy, but the outstanding frontcourt player was named the PacWest Newcomer of the Year. She totaled 16 points and edged out runner up Awa-Williams by one. Each player received three first-place votes, but Zasly wound up with more total points to claim the award.

Dominican (CA) senior guard Alisha Flaatan (Hayward, CA/Moreau Catholic) picked up two first-place votes and finished third in the balloting with nine points, while Grand Canyon junior center Kia Gibson (Nine Mile Falls, WA/Lakeside) earned one first-place nod and finished fourth with seven points. Flaatan and Gibson also were named All-PacWest Second Team.

Laura Zasly finished the 2009-10 campaign second in scoring in the conference with a 15.1 points-per-game average. She also was third in rebounding after collecting 7.1 boards per game, and 12^th in assist average after doling out 2.7 per contest.

A terrific all-around player, Zasly made 39 of 109 three-point attempts (35.8%) to finish ninth in the PacWest, while her 2.9 steals per game ranked second. Zasly’s 1.4 three-pointers made per contest landed her seventh.

Zasly’s twin sister, Katie, joined her on the All-PacWest First Team by averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game. She ranked fifth in thefts, ninth in assists, ninth in rebounding and seventh in scoring.

Flaaten made Dominican history when she became the Penguins first All-PacWest selection in the sport of women’s basketball. She led the conference in three-pointers made (71) and three-pointers made per game (2.7), ranked third in scoring (15.0 ppg.), 13^th in assist average (2.7) and third in free throw shooting (87.3% / 55 for 63).

With three All-PacWest First Team selections, a conference championship, and a trip to the NCAA II National Championship Tournament, it was no surprise that Hawai‘i Pacific’s Jeff Harada was named the PacWest Coach of the Year. The Sea Warriors finished the season with a 14-2 league record and an overall mark of 18-7.

Harada received six first-place votes and finished with 19 total points – five ahead of runner-up Mike Rudder of NDNU. Rudder received two first-place votes, while Angie Kristensen of Dixie State earned one. Kristensen and Grand Canyon’s Trent May tied for third place with nine points apiece.

Dixie State rookie forward Johnna Brown (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) was the runaway favorite for the Freshman of the Year honor after she garnered seven first-place votes. She also was named All-PacWest Second Team.

During the 2009-10 campaign, Brown averaged 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She ranked fourth in scoring, 10^th in rebounding and 10^th in assist average for the year in the PacWest, while her 56.0% (107 of 191) shooting from the field landed her second in the conference as a rookie. From the line, Brown made 78.0% (92 of 188) of her free throw attempts to rank eighth in the league for the year.

Brown was one of four All-PacWest selections for Dixie State, including two from Centennial High School in Las Vegas. Daniels, the lone First Team choice for the Red Storm, was the other.

The rookie frontcourt player had a terrific first season for Dixie State after she averaged 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. She finished 11^th in scoring, fifth in rebounding and third in shooting (55.0%) She made 116 of 211 field goal attempts and was among the leaders in thefts after averaging 2.5 takeaways per outing (7^th).

In all, Dixie State wound up with three All-PacWest Second Team selections this season, including senior forward Tanya Clark (Beaumont, CA/Beaumont) and senior guard Jessie Ingraham (Tucson, AZ/Canyon del Oro). Clark was a repeat Second Team pick while Ingraham earned Honorable Mention last year.

Clark averaged 8.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season, finishing seventh in the conference in collecting boards. She was among the leaders in free throw shooting, making 81.0% (64 of 79) to finish fifth in the league, while her 2.4 steals per game landed her eighth in the conference.

Ingraham averaged 11.0 points while shooting 45.2% (80 of 177) from the floor, ranking 16^th in scoring and 10^th in field goal percentage in the PacWest. She was most productive from beyond the arc, connecting on 45.1% (32 of 71) of her long-distance attempts while averaging 1.8 made per game. She ranked second in the league in three-point shooting and eighth in per game average.

Like Dixie State, Grand Canyon boasted four All-PacWest selections in Murphy, Gibson, senior forward/guard Stacy Haddow (Chino Valley, AZ/Chino Valley) and senior forward Ashley Hardin (Chandler, AZ/Marcos de Niza). Both Hardin and Haddow earned Honorable Mention this season.

Gibson burst on the PacWest scene by leading the conference in field goal percentage (57.6%) after making 121 of 210 field goal attempts. She ranked 13^th in scoring this season by averaging 11.6 points per game, while she finished 11^th in free throw shooting after connecting on 76.3% (71 of 93) of her attempts.

Hardin, an All-PacWest First Team selection in 2007-08 and the Newcomer of the Year two seasons ago, missed almost all of the 2008-09 campaign with an injury. But the senior roared back this year to claim All-PacWest honors. She averaged 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

Haddow was an All-PacWest Second Team choice last year who averaged 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 three-pointers made per game. She connected on 33 three-pointers and ranked sixth in the league in long-range shooting (36.2%) after making 33 of 91 attempts.

With three First Team selections and one Second Team choice, Hawai‘i Pacific also boasted four all-conference players in 2009-10. Awa-Williams and Hopkins – a Second Team pick last year – represented Konawaena High School in Hawai‘i along with Hawai‘i Hilo senior guard Nesha Ann (Hina) Kimitete (Kailua-Kona, HI/Konawaena).

Awa-Williams finished eighth in the league in scoring after averaging 12.4 points per game. She also ranked 11^th in rebounding by pulling down 5.8 caroms per contest, while her 54.7% (123 for 225) shooting landed her fourth in the league. She also averaged 2.6 assists (14^th) per game.

Hopkins finished ninth in scoring in the conference, right behind Awa-Williams, after she averaged 11.9 points per game. She shot 43.9% (115 for 262) from the field to rank 11^th, and made 57 of 76 free throw attempts (75.0%) to finish 15^th. Her 0.6 block average landed her fourth in the PacWest.

Lewis rounded out the HPU First Team contingent after producing a stellar season. She averaged 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, finishing 12^th in scoring and second in rebounding in the PacWest this year. She made 48.0% (118 for 246) of her field goal attempts to finish seventh in the league, and ranked third in blocked shots per game with a 0.6 average.

HPU sophomore guard Paris Gravely (Fairfield, CA/Fairfield), who made the Second Team last season, repeated as a Second Team selection this year. She averaged 10.8 points per game, shot 76.6% (59 for 77) from the line, and made 35.7% (30 for 84) of her three-point attempts. She finished the year 17^th in the league in scoring, 10^th in foul shooting and 10^th in three-point percentage. She was ninth in three-pointers made per game (1.3).

Kimitete was the lone All-PacWest selection for Hawai‘i Hilo. This marked her third straight All-PacWest appearance after earning Honorable Mention last year and Second Team accolades in 2007-08. She repeats as an Honorable Mention this season.

Kimitete finished the year among the scoring leaders in the PacWest. She averaged 13.3 points per game to finish sixth in the league, while her 51 three-pointers made and 2.0 per game average ranked third in the conference. She also topped the PacWest in steals per game (3.5).

Academy of Art and BYU-Hawaii each claimed a pair of All-PacWest selections. Urban Knight junior forward Jessica Nolan (Adelaide, Australia/Hallet Cove School) earned Second Team honors, while senior guard Sondra Stilwell (Redding, CA/Shasta) picked up an Honorable Mention to become the first All-PacWest women’s basketball selections in AAU history.

Nolan averaged 10.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, finishing 18^th in scoring in the PacWest while leading the league in glass domination. She also ranked eighth in assists per game (2.9) and fifth in shooting (50.0%) after making 109 of 218 field goal attempts. Nolan’s resume also included 2.0 steals per game - good enough for 11^th in the league.

Stilwell averaged 11.9 points per game to place 10^th in the league in scoring and averaged 3.9 assists per contest to rank fourth in helpers. She shot 45.6% (120 of 263) from the floor to finish the season ninth in the conference.

Stilwell was solid from beyond the arc, making 41.3% (45 of 109) of her three-points attempts and averaging 1.7 three-pointers made per game. She ranked fourth in three-point shooting, fifth in three-pointers made per game, and ninth in steals per contest (2.2). She also was sixth in assist/turnover ratio (0.6).

The Seasiders earned a pair of All-PacWest Honorable Mentions in junior guard Richelle Fenenbock (Coeur d’Alene, ID/Lake City) and sophomore guard Dara Tompkison (Honolulu, HI/Punahou). Fenenbock earned her third straight All-PacWest selection after being named to the Second Team in 2007-08 and Honorable Mention in 2008-09.

Tompkison averaged 8.0 points and 4.0 assists per game, finishing the season second in handing out helpers. She also finished third in steals per game (2.8).

Fenenbock ranked second in three-pointers (61) and three-pointers made per game (2.4) in 2009-10. She wound up fifth overall in scoring average (13.6).