Syracuse Backcourt Earns All-BIG EAST Honors
3/1/2002 9:55:43 PM | Women's Basketball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The Syracuse guard tandem of senior Jaime James (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) and sophomoreJulie McBride (Mechanicville, N.Y./Catholic Central) each earned third-team All-BIG EAST accolades on Friday, March 1 at the conference's annual awards banquet. It is the first All-BIG EAST selection for either player. James was an All-Rookie Team pick in 1999.
McBride led the team in scoring during the regular season with a 14.8 points per game average. She became the first player in Syracuse history to record 400 points and 150 assists in the same season. McBride's 152 assists this season ranks sixth on the Syracuse single-season ledger. McBride ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring and third in assists with 5.6 per game. She is also among the conference's top 10 in steals (1.96/game), free throw percentage (79.4), three-point field goals made (1.96/game) and assist to turnover ratio (1.43).
James, SU's all-time leading three-point shooter with 215 career triples, is second on the team with a 14.6 points per game scoring average this season. She also leads the team 61 three-pointers and 55 steals. James ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring and is seventh in the conference in steals. She is also the league's third-most accurate three-point shooter at 39.1 percent. James is Syracuse's ninth all-time leading scorer with 1,156 points and is the only SU player to have three seasons with 50 or more three-pointers and two seasons of 60 or more three-pointers.
It is the first time that Syracuse has had two players named to the All-BIG EAST teams, not including the All-Rookie team, since Kristyn Cook and Kristen McCory were both third-team selections in 1995.
The BIG EAST also handed out its regular-season awards at the banquet held in conjunction with the conference tournament. Connecticut's Sue Bird was named BIG EAST Player of the Year, while Notre Dame's Jacqueline Batteast was a unanimous pick for the league's Rookie of the Year honor. Miami's Meghan Saake was chosen as the conference Defensive Player of the Year and Virginia Tech's Ieva Kublina was named Most Improved Player. Connecticut's Geno Auriemma was named Coach of the Year.
Syracuse begins play in the BIG EAST Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 2 versus West Virginia at 6 p.m. The Orangewomen (16-11, 9-7) are the seventh seed in the tournament, while the Mountaineers (14-13, 6-10) are the 10th seed. Syracuse won the first meeting this season, 74-46, at Manley Field House on Feb. 23.
