UT's Booker makes Big 12 Basketball history
(KXAN)--University of Texas freshman Madison Booker was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Year with Oklahoma's Skyler Vann.Booker becomes the first freshman in the history of the Big 12 to win or share Player of the Year honors. Booker was also named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
The Ridgeland, Mississippi native averaged 20.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 48 percent from the field and 91.6 percent from the free-throw line in 18 Big 12 games. Booker has scored in double figures in 20 straight games and has 11 games scoring 20 or more points. Against ranked opponents this season, Booker is averaging 21.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
Overall Booker averages 16.5 points per game, 4.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds while taking over the point guard position from preseason Player of the Year in late December when she went down with a season ending knee injury.
Booker is the second Texas women’s basketball player to earn the Big 12 Player of the Year award. In the 2016-17 season Brooke-McCarty earned the honor. Booker is the fifth Longhorn to earn the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Texas has earned the honor in two of the last three years with Rori Harmon being honored in 2022.
Junior forward Aaliyah Moore was named 2nd All-Big 12 and junior DeYona Gaston is the Sixth Person of the Year.
Moore, who returned this season from an ACL injury the season before had a stretch where she scored in double figures in seven games and averaged 11.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game in Big 12 play. Moore shot 55.2 percent from the field in conference games. Moore had a season-high 19 points to help the Longhorns to a victory on the road at Baylor and a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds in a key win over Kansas State.
Coming back from injury Gaston scored in double figures in seven games for the Longhorns, including three of the last four games of the regular season. Gaston posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Texas Tech and in front of friends and family at Houston scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Gaston shot 53.6 percent from the field in conference games.
The trio of Shay Holle, Shaylee Gonzales and Taylor Jones earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. Holle was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.
Oklahoma's Jennie Baranczyk was named Coach of the Year leading the Sooners to the regular season Big 12 Title.
The awards were voted on by the head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
Co-Player of the Year: Skylar Vann, Oklahoma
Co-Player of the Year: Madison Booker, Texas
Defensive Player of the Year: JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
Freshman of the Year: Madison Booker, Texas
Newcomer of the Year: Payton Verhulst, Oklahoma
Sixth Player Award: DeYona Gaston, Texas
Coach of the Year: Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma
All-Big 12 First Team
Lauren Gustin, BYU
Audi Crooks, Iowa State*
Taiyanna Jackson, Kansas
S'Mya Nichols, Kansas
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State*
Serena Sundell, Kansas State
Skylar Vann, Oklahoma*
Payton Verhulst, Oklahoma
Madison Booker, Texas*
JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Second Team
Sarah Andrews, Baylor
Kaitlin Peterson, UCF
Madison Conner, TCU
Aaliyah Moore, Texas
Jordan Harrison, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention:
Aijha Blackwell (Baylor), Dre’Una Edwards (Baylor), Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (Baylor), Kailey Woolston (BYU), Jillian Hayes (Cincinnati), Laila Blair (Houston), Addy Brown (Iowa State), Zakiyah Franklin (Kansas), Holly Kersgieter (Kansas), Gabby Gregory (Kansas State), Nevaeh Tot (Oklahoma), Sahara Williams (Oklahoma), Anna Gret Asi (Oklahoma State), Sedona Prince (TCU), Shaylee Gonzales (Texas), Shay Holle (Texas), Taylor Jones (Texas), Bailey Maupin (Texas Tech), Jasmine Shavers (Texas Tech)
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Taiyanna Jackson, Kansas
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Shay Holle, Texas
Jordan Harrison, West Virginia
JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
Addy Brown, Iowa State
Audi Crooks, Iowa State*
S’Mya Nichols, Kansas*
Stailee Heard, Oklahoma State
Madison Booker, Texas*