March 4, 2005
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DALLAS - Kim Mulkey-Robertson (Baylor) was chosen Coach of the Year and Kendra Wecker (Kansas State) was named Player of the Year, highlighting the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball 2004-05 All-Conference Team released Friday.
Jelena Spiric (Nebraska) was the pick for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
while Morenike Atunrase (Texas A&M) captured Freshman of the Year
honors. The team was voted on by the league's head coaches with coaches
not allowed to vote for their own players.
Mulkey-Robertson earned her first Big 12 Coach of the Year accolade
after leading Baylor to its first women's basketball conference
championship in school history. The Lady Bears won the Big 12 title with
a 14-2 league mark and are 24-3 overall, with a current 11-game win
streak and Top 10 national ranking. Mulkey-Robertson has led Baylor to
20+ wins in each of her five seasons as head coach. The team earned the
No. 1 seed in next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball
Tournament.
Wecker, a 5-11 senior forward, is the only Big 12 player averaging a
double-double in overall and conference games. She numbers 21.0 ppg and
10.1 rpg in all games and registered 20.8 ppg and 10.6 rpg in league
play. This season she became just the second women's basketball player
in Big 12 history and first in Kansas State history to amass over 2,000
points and 1,000 rebounds. Wecker needs just 13 points to become the Big
12 and KSU all-time leading scorer, surpassing former teammate and
two-time Big 12 Player of the Year (2003 and 2004) Nicole Ohlde's 2,241
career points from 2001-04.
Spiric, a 6-1 junior forward, started in 19 and played in all 28 games
for Nebraska in her first season after transferring from Colby Community
College. She is fourth on the team in scoring with 7.5 ppg and second in
steals with 45 on the season. She won consecutive Big 12 Rookie of the
Week honors on Jan. 10 and 17.
Atunrase, a 5-10 freshman forward, is the only player to rank in the top
four among Big 12 freshmen in scoring (2 - 10.5 ppg), rebounding (4 -
5.2 rpg), steals (1 - 1.9 spg), and blocks (1 - 1.8 bpg). She is the
Aggies' leading scorer and is on pace to become just the second freshman
in school history to lead the team in scoring average. She is a
three-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week selection.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball 2004-05 All-Conference Team
Coach of the Year: Kim Mulkey-Robertson, Baylor
Player of the Year: Kendra Wecker, Kansas State
Newcomer of the Year: Jelena Spiric, Nebraska (F, 6-1, Jr, Belgrade,
Serbia & Montenegro)
Freshman of the Year: Morenike Atunrase, Texas A&M (F, 5-10, Fr,
Shreveport, La.)
| Kendra Wecker, Kansas State | F | 5-11 | Sr | Marysville, Kan. |
| Sophia Young, Baylor | F | 6-1 | Jr | St. Vincent, West Indies |
| Tiffany Jackson, Texas | F | 6-3 | So | Dallas, Texas |
| Dionnah Jackson, Oklahoma | G | 5-9 | Sr | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Anne O'Neil, Iowa State | G | 5-11 | Sr | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Steffanie Blackmon, Baylor | P | 6-2 | Sr | Dallas, Texas |
| Erin Grant, Texas Tech | G | 5-8 | Jr | Arlington, Texas |
| Jamie Carey, Texas | G | 5-6 | Sr | Thornton, Colo. |
| Cisti Greenwalt, Texas Tech | C | 6-5 | Sr | Clovis, N.M. |
| Kiera Hardy, Nebraska | G | 5-6 | So | Kansas City, Mo. |
| Leah Rush, Oklahoma | F | 6-1 | So | Amarillo, Texas |
| Katie Robinette, Iowa State | F | 6-2 | Sr | South Sioux City, Neb. |
| Laurie Koehn, Kansas State | G | 5-8 | Sr | Hesston, Kan. |
| Chesley Dabbs, Texas Tech | G | 6-0 | Jr | Plano, Texas |
| Heather Schreiber, Texas | F | 6-2 | Sr | Windthorst, Texas |
Honorable Mention (alphabetical by school)
Veronica Johns-Richardson (Colorado), Crystal Kemp and Erica Hallman
(Kansas), Megan Mahoney (Kansas State), Tiffany Brooks and Christelle
N'Garsanet (Missouri), Jina Johansen (Nebraska), Nina Stone (Oklahoma
State), Morenike Atunrase (Texas A&M), Alesha Robertson and LaToya Davis
(Texas Tech)