Coleman Tabbed ACC Rookie of the Year
3/1/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 1, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Earning 61 of 70 votes, Maryland's Marissa Coleman was voted ACC Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA), making it the second-straight year a Terrapin has earned the honor.
"We are extremely proud of Marissa. This is a well-deserved honor for her," said Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. "To coach the Rookie of the Year in back-to-back seasons is a tremendous honor and says a lot about our program and where we're headed. These individual accomplishments cannot take place without the success and hard work of her teammates."
Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) was the only freshman to be named to the All-ACC squad, which was announced earlier this week, earning a spot on the second team. She was a unanimous All-Freshman team pick and led the league with five ACC Rookie of the Week selections, also tying a school record.
A 6-foot-1 guard/forward, Coleman is ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in seven statistical categories, including leading the league in three-point shooting, knocking down 50.6 percent of her attempts. She is also 10th in scoring (14.6 ppg), sixth in rebounding (7.5) and eighth in blocks (1.54). Her shooting accuracy is also among the best in the ACC. Aside from boasting the best three-point shooting in the conference, she boasts a 53.2 shooting percentage and is 81.9 percent from the free throw line.
Among the ACC freshmen, Coleman is the second-highest scoring player in her class, leading all rookies in rebounding and blocks. The team's third-leading scorer, she has had eight 20-point outings, including tallying a career-high 23 in the win over No. 1 North Carolina. Coleman has also registered six double-doubles, posting double-figure rebounding performances nine times.
Others receiving votes were Wake Forest's Deirdre Naughton (5), Abby Waner of Duke (3) and teammate Kristi Toliver (1) (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg).
Coleman is the fifth player in school history to earn ACC Rookie of the Year honors. Teammate Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) garnered the award last season. It is the first time since 1987 and 1988 that a pair of Terrapins won the award in back-to-back years.
The Terps travel to Greensboro, N.C., as the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament on Friday, March 3. They play the winner of the Miami-Georgia Tech first-round game at 9:30 p.m. Maryland's quarterfinal game will be televised on the ACC's Regional Sports Network and can also be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network and online at www.umterps.com.
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