NEW YORK – With the 2019 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Jeep tipping off on Saturday, the Conference announced its annual regular-season awards on Wednesday. Marquette senior guard Natisha Hiedeman was unanimously selected as BIG EAST Player of the Year, while Butler’s Kurt Godlevske was tabbed BIG EAST Coach of the Year. For the first time since 1988-89, Providence has the top rookie as the Friars’ Mary Baskerville was voted BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Major awards and All-BIG EAST Teams were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches who were not allowed to vote for themselves or their own players.
Additional major award winners include: Butler’s Michelle Weaver as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year; Seton Hall’s Shadeen Samuels as the Most Improved Player; Marquette’s Allazia Blockton as the Sixth-Woman Award recipient; and DePaul’s Ashton Millender and Villanova’s Jannah Tucker sharing the Sportsmanship Award. Five-member All-BIG EAST First Team, Second Team, Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Teams were also selected.
Hiedeman posted a BIG EAST-leading 13 20-point games this season, finishing second in conference play with an 18.9 scoring average. She entered league play averaging 15.4 points per game, but when Preseason Player of the Year Allazia Blockton went down in the BIG EAST opener, Hiedeman stepped up in a major way, averaging 24.2 points in her absence. She reached the 20-point mark 11 times in BIG EAST play and the 30-point mark twice, including the highest scoring performance in BIG EAST action since 2017 when she dropped 34 at Seton Hall on Feb. 17. She is the second straight Golden Eagle to be selected BIG EAST Player of the Year following Blockton in 2017-18. Hiedeman was the lone unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
Predicted to finish seventh in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Godlevske’s Bulldogs exceeded expectations by finishing third, their highest finish since joining the Conference in 2013-14. Butler enters the postseason with a 21-8 overall record, already their most wins since the 2009-10 season (23-10), while its 11-7 BIG EAST record is its finest since joining the league. The Bulldogs have made a name for themselves on the defensive end, averaging a BIG EAST-best 57.8 defensive scoring average while ranking in the top 20 nationally with 11.0 steals per game. Butler received votes in both national polls for the first time as a member of the BIG EAST, peaking as high as No. 16 in the NCAA RPI. The Bulldogs claimed a BIG EAST Tournament First Round bye for the first time since 2015.
Baskerville stood out not only among BIG EAST freshmen but among all players. The rookie forward led all freshmen in scoring (9.4), rebounding (7.3), field goal percentage (.602) and blocks (1.56). Her shooting clip ranked second among all BIG EAST players, her blocks average listed third and her rebounding mark ranked eighth. She tallied five double-doubles on the year to rank seventh overall, four of which came against BIG EAST foes. Baskerville is Providence’s No. 3 scorer overall (8.7) and its top rebounder (7.1) and shooter (.570). Baskerville was one of two unanimous selections to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team, along with DePaul’s Lexi Held. A five-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, Baskerville is just the second BIG EAST Freshman of the Year from Providence, joining Tracy Lis in 1988-89.
Weaver becomes the second Butler player to garner Defensive Player of the Year plaudits. The senior guard ranks seventh nationally with a 3.45 steals average, while her 3.3 clip in BIG EAST play was tops. Weaver led a Butler defense which posted the league’s best scoring defense average both overall (57.8) and in BIG EAST play (61.4), keeping their conference opponents to 60 points or less in 10 games. Butler’s BIG EAST opponents averaged a league-high 16.7 turnovers per game, while its overall clip of 18.8 per game was also the best in the conference.
Samuels becomes the second BIG EAST Most Improved Player out of Seton Hall. The junior averaged just 8.5 points per game over 18 conference games in 2017-18, to becoming the BIG EAST’s scoring champion at 20.2 per game in 2018-19. Samuels leads both in league play and overall, bumping her season average from 7.5 as a sophomore to 18.6 as a junior. Her rebounding figures also took a jump, going from 6.5 to 8.6 overall and 6.8 to 8.1 in league action. Samuels has eight double-doubles this season, fourth-most in the BIG EAST, after tallying just two last year. She enters the postseason with 10 20-point performances on the year, second-most in the conference, while her two 30-point showings are tied for the league lead. The three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection for the first time in her career.
After averaging 17.4 points per game over 12 non-conference games, Blockton was injured in the BIG EAST opener on Dec. 29 and missed the following five games. She returned on Jan. 20, coming off the bench for the next eight games before returning to the starting lineup over the final four league contests. In BIG EAST play, the senior averaged 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds, starting just five of 13 appearances. On the year, Blockton enters the postseason averaging 14.1 points to rank second on the Marquette squad and ninth among all BIG EAST players. She was named BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Tuesday, becoming just the third player in Conference history to repeat the recognition.
Millender and Tucker are recognized for their efforts both on and off the court with the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award. DePaul senior guard Millender is a fifth-year senior captain who is renowned for her positive attitude and concern for others, while her compassion is exhibited through a number of community service initiatives she has partaken in over the years, including the DemonTHON charity dance marathon, Seton Soup Kitchen and volunteering at the Special Olympics. She’s among the greatest three-point shooters in DePaul history, and currently ranks third on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game. Tucker is a fifth-year senior captain for the Wildcats, averaging 9.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Off the court, Tucker is committed to volunteerism, speaking at local elementary schools about leadership, anti-bullying and the importance of education. She has volunteered at Villanova’s Special Olympics Festival and MLK Day of Service, while speaking to various women’s groups about her experience with domestic violence. Tucker is also a member of Villanova’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
In addition to Hiedeman and Samuels, All-BIG EAST First Team selections included Creighton senior forward Audrey Faber, DePaul senior forward Mart’e Grays and Georgetown senior guard Dionna White. Grays and White were first-team picks in 2017-18, while Faber was a first-team honoree in 2016-17. White finished league play ranked fourth in scoring at 16.9 points per game, while Faber followed in fifth (16.8) and Grays in sixth (15.6). White finished her BIG EAST regular-season career ranked among the all-time leaders in scoring (10
th, 1,175 points), field goals made (17
th, 420), field goals attempted (4
th, 1,057) and steals (3
rd, 201). Grays has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, leading the Blue Demons during their current eight-game winning streak. Faber has hit a hot streak of her own, finishing the regular season with three consecutive 20-point games as Creighton became the only BIG EAST team this season to beat the top two teams in the league standings.
The five-member All-BIG EAST Second Team features Georgetown graduate guard Dorothy Adomako (15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds), Marquette senior forward Erika Davenport (11.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, .595 shooting), Villanova junior forward Mary Gedaka (14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, .677 shooting), Butler senior forward/center Tori Schickel (12.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists) and DePaul junior forward Chante Stonewall (14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals). Adomako had an impressive comeback season after missing all of 2017-18, posting the best season of her career in terms of scoring and rebounding. Davenport proved to be a force for Marquette prior to suffering a season-ending injury on Feb. 22, still finishing among the BIG EAST all-time leaders in rebounding (fourth) and field goal percentage (13
th). Schickel also etched her name into the BIG EAST record book, finishing with third-most rebounds in league history while shattering Butler career standards as well. Gedaka has been clutch for the Wildcats while her shooting clip ranks third nationally this season. Stonewall has been consistent in her breakout junior season, reaching double figures in 22 games and bumping her scoring average in BIG EAST play by over four points from last year.
All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selections include the league assists leader, St. John’s redshirt-sophomore guard Tiana England; one of the best three-point shooters in BIG EAST history in Providence senior guard Jovana Nogic; BIG EAST leading rebounder A’riana Gray, a sophomore forward out of Xavier; Butler scoring leader, senior guard Whitney Jennings; and the BIG EAST’s active career leader in assists, Marquette senior guard Amani Wilborn.
Providence led the way with two BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selections in Baskerville and guard Kaela Webb. With DePaul’s Lexi Held ranking second behind Baskerville in rookie scoring at 8.3 points per game, Webb listed third also at 8.3, with Webb scoring 149 points over 18 BIG EAST games to Held’s 133 over 16. Villanova red-shirt freshman guard Emily Esposito and St. John’s freshman guard Kadaja Bailey ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, among rookie scorers. The five All-Freshman Team honorees combined for 13 BIG EAST Freshman of the Week certificates this season, with multiple certificates collected by Baskerville, Held and Bailey.
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Natisha Hiedeman, Marquette, Sr., G*
BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Kurt Godlevske, Butler
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Mary Baskerville, Providence, Fr., F
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Michelle Weaver, Butler, Sr., G
BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Shadeen Samuels, Seton Hall, Jr., F
BIG EAST Sixth-Woman Award
Allazia Blockton, Marquette, Sr., G
BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award
Jannah Tucker, Villanova, Sr., F
Ashton Millender, DePaul, Sr., G
All-BIG EAST First Team
Audrey Faber, Creighton, Sr., F
Mart’e Grays, DePaul, Sr., F
Natisha Hiedeman, Marquette, Sr., G*
Shadeen Samuels, Seton Hall, Jr., F
Dionna White, Georgetown, Sr., G
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Dorothy Adomako, Georgetown, Grad., G
Erika Davenport, Marquette, Sr., F
Mary Gedaka, Villanova, Jr., F
Tori Schickel, Butler, Sr., F/C
Chante Stonewall, DePaul, Jr., F
All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Tiana England, St. John’s, R-So., G
A’riana Gray, Xavier, So., F
Whitney Jennings, Butler, Sr., G
Jovana Nogic, Providence, Sr., G
Amani Wilborn, Marquette, Sr., G
BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Kadaja Bailey, St. John’s, Fr., G
Mary Baskerville, Providence, Fr., F*
Emily Esposito, Villanova, R-Fr., G
Lexi Held, DePaul, Fr., G*
Kaela Webb, Providence, Fr., G
*unanimous selection