By Mel Greenberg
PHILADELPHIA - Although announced several weeks ago in advance of Wednesday night's annual Big Five women's banquet, which broke with tradition, the stars of the five local schools who play in the round-robin received their awards at the Holiday Inn near the stadium complex in South Philadelphia.
During the dinner, junior Laura Kurz informed the Guru that a group of past and present Villanova stars were being assembled to be a "monster" team this summer in the annual Philadelphia Department of Recreation NCAA Women's Summer League.
La Salle sports information director Kale Beers was the emcee.
Missing at the dinner due to basketball commitments elsewhere were Villanova's Stacie Witman who is currently a practice player at WNBA Connecticut Sun training camp in New London; Temple's Lady Comfort, who signed a training camp roster with the Los Angeles Sparks, and Temple coach Dawn Staley, who is in Beijing, China, as an assistant coach on the USA Women';s National Team at the Good Luck Beijing Tournament.
At the same time the Big Five tributes were being given, Drexel had its annual postseason salute to its men and women on campus as junior Nicole Hester received the V Foundation Comeback Award for coming back this season after being sidelined the previous 12 months battling Hodgkins' Lymphoma.
The national award was created to honor the memory of Jim Valvano, the late basketball coach and ESPN commentator, whose personal battle with cancer inspired the creation of the V Foundation. It is presented annually to a male or female college basketball player who has triumphed in the face of true adversity.
Here is the list of Big Five winners in case they haven't made it into print previously because the Guru was traveling at the time of the announcement..
Individual Honors:
Player of the Year: Carlene Hightower, SR. - F, La Salle University
Coach of the Year: Dawn Staley, Temple University
Rookie of the Year: Sarah Acker, FR. - C, Saint Joseph's University
Most Improved Player: Ashley Morris, SR. - G, Temple University
Sportsmanship: Mary Kate McDade, JR. - G, Saint Joseph's University
1st Team All-Big 5
Sarah Acker, FR. - C, Saint Joseph's University
Lady Comfort, SR. - C, Temple University
Carlene Hightower, SR. - F, La Salle University
Laura Kurz, JR. - F, Villanova University
Ashley Morris, SR. - G, Temple University
Stacie Witman, SR. - F, Villanova University
2nd Team All-Big 5
Carrie Biemer, JR. - F, University of Pennsylvania
LaKeisha Eaddy, SO. - G, Temple University
Margaret Elderton, JR. - G, La Salle University
Timisha Gomez, SR. - G, Saint Joseph's University
Lisa Karcic, JR. - F, Villanova University
All-Academic Team
Candice Borrows, SR. - G, Temple University
Melanie Gibbons, SR. - F, La Salle University
Timisha Gomez, SR. - G, Saint Joseph's University
Siobhan O'Connor, JR. - G, Villanova University
Anca Popovici, JR. - G, University of Pennsylvania
-- Mel
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