High Point women’s basketball places three players on Big South All-Conference Teams

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Three players from the High Point University women’s basketball team were named to the Big South All-Conference team on Thursday as senior Shamia Brown was named to the first team and both junior Erin Reynolds and sophomore Cheyenne Parker were named to the second team. Parker also became the first High Point player to be named Big South Defensive Player of the Year while junior Laura Whitt was named a member of the Big South All-Academic team.

“I am just so proud what these players bring to the table for us,” head coach Jennifer Hoover said. “It is an honor for them to be respected by the other teams in the conference for their body of work. I am really excited for all three of them and what it means for the program. They would be the first to say they wouldn’t have gotten any awards without their teammates and that is what I love most about them.”

Brown, a preseason All-Conference selection, was High Point’s only senior this season and the Panthers’ leading scorer at 16 points per game. She finished seventh in the conference in scoring and has set HPU Div. I single-season records for both total points (465) and scoring average this season. Brown is second on the team and fifth in the Big South with a career-high 2.3 steals per game. She is HPU’s second-leading rebounder at 6.4 boards per game which leaves her 10th in the Big South. The senior set the High Point Div. I career records for both scoring and rebounding this season, scoring 1,521 career points and grabbing 708 career rebounds. She is the only HPU Div. I player to eclipse either 1,500 points or 700 rebounds. Brown is the first All-Big South first-team selection since Jurica Hargraves was named to the team in 2008-09 and only the ninth selection since High Point joined the conference in 1999.

“Shamia is such a versatile player in this league,” Hoover said. “She is just a nightmare matchup. She is as quick as most guards but plays in the post as a forward. Her ability to score and her athletic ability have been a great benefit. She has really led this team as our lone senior. I am very excited for the recognition she has earned.”

Reynolds is second on the team in scoring this season with 14.9 points per game, the ninth-best average in the Big South. She also leads the team and is third in the conference in both assists, with 4.2 per game, and steals, with 2.5 per game. Reynolds holds the mark for highest-scoring game by a Big South player this season with 36 points in a win over Pittsburgh, tying the HPU Div. I single-game record. She also possess the most steals in a game by a Big South player this season after nabbing nine in a win over Coastal Carolina.

“Erin is the quickest player with the ball in her hands that I have ever coached,” Hoover said. “She has taken on a lot this year as the starting point guard. We expect the ball to be in her hands the majority of the time and for her to do what she has done has been a joy to watch. She sets the tone for our team both offensively and defensively. I am so excited for her and the respect she has garnered this season.”

Parker broke the Big South single-season blocks record with 108 on the year, becoming the only player in Big South history to ever record 100 blocks in a season. Her 3.8 blocked shots per game is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, while her 12.3 rebounds per game leads the Big South and is good for fourth in the country. On the defensive glass, Parker tops the conference with 7.62 defensive boards per game. She is also ranked sixth in the League with 2.1 steals per game. Parker posted 17 double-doubles on the year to rank sixth in the nation and is the only player in the Big South to post a triple-double with 13 points, 22 rebounds and a Big South record-tying 10 blocks at Winthrop. She is third on the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game and is one of only two players in the Big South to average a double-double on the season.

“Cheyenne’s presence at both ends of the floor is tremendous,” Hoover said. “Her ability to block shots and get steals makes her a huge part of our defense. Offensively, Cheyenne is a skilled low-post player who has scored even while being double and triple teamed. She has worked hard to get where she is and she knows she is still a work in progress. The growth she has shown since the beginning of the season is amazing. I think she has the potential to achieve even more in the future.”

Whitt has started every game for High Point this season and is fifth on the team in scoring with 6.1 points per game. Her 37 three pointers this season lead the Panthers. After not recording a double-digit scoring game in either of her first two seasons, Whitt has eclipsed the mark in nine games this season, including a career-high 21-point effort at Campbell. Whitt currently sports a 3.66 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science. She is a three-time Millis Scholar-Athlete and a two-time member of the Big South Honor Roll.

“For Laura to be named to the All-Academic Team is a great honor for her,” Hoover said. “We expect a lot out of her. She is a glue player on the floor which attests to her basketball IQ. She has meant a lot to us and hit some big shots this season. She is the epitome of a student-athlete. She spends a lot of time on her academics and when she is not in the gym, she is at the library. I am thrilled she is able to reap the awards of that.”

The three All-Conference selections for HPU is tied for the most in a single season for the Panthers. High Point previously received three All-Conference selections in 2001-02 when Mary Brewer, Misty Brockman and Narelle Henry were all named to the second team. It is the 14th time in Big South history that a team has had at least three All-Conference selections.

2011-12 Big South Women’s Basketball Awards
First-Team All-Conference

Dequesha McClanahan, Winthrop
Avery Warley, Liberty
Shamia Brown, High Point
Devon Brown, Liberty
Da’Naria Erwin Spencer, Radford

Second-Team All-Conference
Rachelle Coward, Charleston Southern
Cheyenne Parker, High Point
Tonisha Baker, Campbell
Erin Reynolds, High Point
Diana Choibekova, Winthrop

All-Freshman Team
Shonese Jones, UNC Asheville
Reagan Miller, Liberty
Shatia Cole, Coastal Carolina
Leah Wormack, UNC Asheville
Kiera Gaines, Campbell

Academic All-Conference
Amanda O’Neill, Campbell
Rachelle Coward, Charleston Southern
Taylor Epley, Coastal Carolina
Brianna Dillard, Gardner-Webb
Laura Whitt, High Point
Karlee Taylor, Presbyterian College
Lindsey Thompson, UNC Asheville
Katherine Brockett, Radford
Kaitlyn Rubino, Winthrop

Player of the Year
Dequesha McClanahan, Winthrop

Defensive Player of the Year
Cheyenne Parker, High Point

Freshman of the Year
Shonese Jones, UNC Asheville

Coach of the Year
Marlene Stollings, Winthrop

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Rachelle Coward, Charleston Southern
Brianna Dillard, Gardner-Webb

One thought on “High Point women’s basketball places three players on Big South All-Conference Teams

  1. Are any of these girls from this local area? Did any of them play for any local AAU teams? I thought I remember the Cheyenne Parker player playing for the Phoenix.

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