Lavender Wins Third-Consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year Honor – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior center Jantel Lavender was named the 2010 Big Ten Player of the Year for the third-consecutive year Monday by both the coaches and the media. She joins former Buckeye Jessica Davenport (2005-06-07) as the only three-time recipients of the award.
Also honored was sophomore Samantha Prahalis, who, along with Lavender, were unanimous selections for first team All-Big Ten honors on both sides. Junior Brittany Johnson, one of the top three-point shooters in the country, was an honorable mention selection from the media while Shavelle Little earned her third-consecutive all-defensive team honor.
An AP Preseason All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year, Lavender has scored in double-figures in all 97 career games, which is the longest active streak in Division I. The junior from Cleveland, Ohio, has posted 18 double-doubles so far in 2009-10, the fifth-most in Division I. She currently leads the Big Ten with 20.9 points per game, good for 10th nationally, and has 20 games with 20-plus points and two 30-point games. First in the league in field goal percentage (.518) and third in rebounding (10.4), Lavender is just the third Buckeye in program history to record at least 1,900 points, 1,000 rebounds and 100 blocked shots in a career. Lavender was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times this season, bringing her career total to 13, which is third in conference history.
Prahalis, a leading candidate for the Nancy Lieberman award, also received serious consideration for player of the year honors. She leads the Big Ten and is second nationally with 8.1 assists per game. The sophomore from Commack, N.Y., ranks third in the conference with 18.2 points per game in conference play as well. She currently has nine games with 20 or more points and is just the second Division I player since 1999-2000 to average at least 16.0 points and 8.0 assists per game. Prahalis had at least eight assists in 18 games this season and nine games with 10 or more, helping her notch eight double-doubles from her point guard position. Recently, Prahalis made a school-record 48 straight free throws, which was the second-best mark all-time in the Big Ten and fifth-longest in NCAA history. She tallied a career-high 14 assists twice this season, third on Ohio State’s single-game list. She also took home player of the week honors four times.
Johnson leads the Buckeyes with 64 three-point field goals this season and is on pace to set an Ohio State single-season record for best 3FG percentage. She is shooting 48.1 percent from long range, the best in the Big Ten and fifth-best in the NCAA. She hit 4-of-5 in the loss at Purdue, finishing with 16 points and had 18 points and four more 3FG’s in the win over Iowa at home. In November, Johnson scored a career-high 23 points in the WNIT championship game against Oklahoma State, hitting seven 3FG’s, second-best on Ohio State’s single-game list.
Little, the defensive player of the year the past two seasons, was second on the team with 47 steals despite averaging only 12 minutes per game. She recorded a career-high eight steals at Illinois Dec. 28, the most by a Buckeye since Kim Wilburn in 2005. She also had four steals in 10 minutes off the bench in the win over Iowa, including two in the final minutes to help seal the win.
2009-10 ALL-BIG TEN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS & HONORS
As selected by Big Ten coaches
| FIRST TEAM | HONORABLE MENTION | ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM |
| Jenna Smith, Illinois | Lacey Simpson, Illinois | Karisma Penn, Illinois |
| Kachine Alexander, Iowa | Jamie Braun, Indiana | JAIME PRINTY, Iowa |
| JANTEL LAVENDER, Ohio State | Veronica Hicks, Michigan | Dayeesha Hollins, Michigan |
| SAMANTHA PRAHALIS, Ohio State | Carmen Reynolds, Michigan | Kendall Hackney, Northwestern |
| Tyra Grant, Penn State | Brittney Thomas, Michigan State | ALEX BENTLEY, Penn State |
| Brittany McCoy, Minnesota | ||
| SECOND TEAM | Rae Lin D’Alie, Wisconsin | PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
| Jori Davis, Indiana | Jantel Lavender, Ohio State | |
| Allyssa DeHaan, Michigan State | ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM | |
| Amy Jaeschke, Northwestern | Lacey Simpson, Illinois | DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
| Brittany Rayburn, Purdue | Kachine Alexander, Iowa | Allyssa DeHaan, Michigan State |
| Alyssa Karel, Wisconsin | Allyssa DeHaan, Michigan State | |
| Shavelle Little, Ohio State | FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR | |
| THIRD TEAM | FahKara Malone, Purdue | Jaime Printy, Iowa |
| Jaime Printy, Iowa | ||
| Kamille Wahlin, Iowa | SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR | |
| Lykendra Johnson, Michigan State | Kalisha Keane, Michigan State | |
| Kalisha Keane, Michigan State | ||
| Alex Bentley, Penn State | COACH OF THE YEAR | |
| Lisa Stone, Wisconsin |
As selected by Big Ten media
| FIRST TEAM | THIRD TEAM | PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
| JENNA SMITH, Illinois | Lacey Simpson, Illinois | Jantel Lavender, Ohio State |
| Amy Jaeschke, Northwestern | Jamie Braun, Indiana | |
| JANTEL LAVENDER, Ohio State | Kamille Wahlin, Iowa | FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR |
| SAMANTHA PRAHALIS, Ohio State | Brittany Rayburn, Purdue | Jaime Printy, Iowa |
| Tyra Grant, Penn State | Rae Lin D’Alie, Wisconsin | |
| COACH OF THE YEAR | ||
| HONORABLE MENTION | Lisa Bluder, Iowa | |
| SECOND TEAM | Veronica Hicks, Michigan | |
| Jori Davis, Indiana | Carmen Reynolds, Michigan | |
| Kachine Alexander, Iowa | Kalisha Keane, Michigan State | |
| Jaime Printy, Iowa | Lykendra Johnson, Michigan State | |
| Allyssa DeHaan, Michigan State | Brittney Thomas, Michigan State | |
| Alyssa Karel, Wisconsin | Kiara Buford, Minnesota | |
| Brittany McCoy, Minnesota | ||
| Brittany Johnson, Ohio State | ||
| Alex Bentley, Penn State |
UNANIMOUS SELECTIONS IN ALL CAPS
