May 16, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State head coach Coquese Washington has been selected as the 2011 BCA Female Coach of the Year by the Black Coaches & Administrators. The BCA Award recipients will be honored during the 2011 BCA National Convention and Expo, during a luncheon event on Friday, May 27, 2011 at the historical and beautiful Renaissance Vinoy St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club.
In addition to Washington, the BCA will honor VCU head coach Shaka Smart as the Fritz Pollard BCA Male Coach of the Year and Dan Guerrero, Athletics Director at UCLA is the recipient of the BCA Myles Brand Administrator of the Year award. In addition, the BCA will honor two individuals as the High School Coach of the Year: Carmen Jackson, track and field coach at Miami Northwestern Senior High Community School, and Ruth Lovelace, boys varsity basketball coach at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"Our honorees are not just successful professionals, but they are also outstanding individuals that have demonstrated dedication to student-athletes and higher education", said David Leitao, BCA President.
"The recipients of our 2011 awards exemplify the broad spectrum of sport and sports unique dynamics. Our winners are a shining reflection on today's coaches and administrators," Floyd Keith, BCA Executive Director stated.
Washington recently completed her fourth season at the helm of the Lady Lions. Penn State returned to the national stage in this season with a second-place finish in the Big Ten regular season standings, a runner-up finish in the Big Ten Tournament and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Lions tallied their most victories since the 2003-04 campaign and 23rd 20-win season with a 25-10 overall record and an 11-5 mark in conference play. The Lady Lions worked their way back in the "Big Dance" for the first time since 2004-05 and advanced to the second round for the first time in seven years with a win over Dayton in the first round in front of a raucous Bryce Jordan Center crowd.
In 2010-11, Penn State was a dominating force from the perimeter as the Lady Lions tied the school record with 228 three-pointers and led NCAA Division I from deep with a .415 three-point field goal percentage. Pacing the Lady Lions from downtown was Maggie Lucas, who broke the Big Ten three-pointers record with 112 triples to go along with a .426 shooting percentage. For her efforts, Lucas was selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year while breaking the Penn State freshman season scoring record (552 pts.). Additionally with Washington's guidance, Alex Bentley became the 11th different player in school history to take home first team All-Big Ten accolades after finishing second in the conference in assists. Washington was also instrumental in the development of center Nikki Greene, who earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive team after recording 75 blocks on the year.
You may join BCA as we pay tribute to outstanding athletic coaches and administrators. The Luncheon event is open to the public. Tickets for the awards banquet can be purchased by calling 1.877.789.1222 or visit www.bcasports.org.
The Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to foster the growth and development of ethnic minorities at all levels of sports both nationally and internationally. The BCA is committed to creating a positive enlightened environment where issues can be examined closely, debated sincerely and resolved honestly. The BCA's focus involves the concerns of its colleagues in professional sports, NCAA (Division I, II, and III), NAIA (Division I and II), junior college and high school levels.
The Lady Lions hold several camps throughout the summer. There is a Lady Lion Basketball Camp available for girls of all ages, ranging from shooting camp to elite camp. The 2011 Lady Lion Basketball Camp schedule is as follows: Shooting Camp (June 12-14), Skills Camp (June 12-14), Total Package Team Camp (June 23-25), Elite Camp (June 25-26) and Games Galore Team Camp (August 5-7). For more information on Lady Lion Basketball Camps, please visit psusportcamps.com and click on Lady Lion Basketball Camp.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.
Release contains information from the BCA's awards release.