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Photo by: Duke Athletics
Blue Devils Hand Out End-of-Season Awards
4/25/2020 7:50:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. – Head coach Joanne P. McCallie and the Duke women's basketball program announced their 2019-20 end-of-season awards Saturday with graduate student Haley Gorecki leading the way with six awards.
The Blue Devils held an 18-12 record when their season came to an abrupt ending due to the coronavirus. Duke was set to receive an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament, after winning seven out of its last nine contests.
There were three statistical awards given out this year – Best Rebounder, Best Free-Throw Shooter and Assist Maker. Other awards that were named were Player of the Year, Most Improved, Playmaker, M.M.O.C. (Meanest Mother on the Court), Sixth Player, CNC (Choice Not Chance) Scholar-Athlete, Best Defender and Senior Award.
For the second straight season, Gorecki was named the Player of the Year, M.M.O.C., Best Rebounder, Assist Maker and the Playmaker Award. The M.M.O.C. award represents the Blue Devil that does the dirty work, including assists, steals and leads the team in floor burns. With an 85.6 free throw percentage, Gorecki won the Best Free Throw Shooter as well.
Gorecki, a 2019 USBWA All-America, is coming off a season where she averaged 18.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals. The product of Palatine, Ill., product collected seven double-doubles and 12 contests with 20 or more points for the Blue Devils, which ranked second in the ACC. The 6-0 guard was the only student-athlete in power five conferences to average over 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
She was an All-ACC First Team and All-ACC Defensive Team honoree, while being named one of five finalists for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for the top shooting guard in the nation. In the ACC statistics, she ranked second in scoring (18.5), second in steals (2.1), seventh in assists (4.4), third in free throw percentage (85.6), 18th in rebounds (6.6), third in minutes played (36.4), eighth in three-point field goals made (2.0) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (33.7).
After missing the last two seasons with knee injuries, graduate student Kyra Lambert earned the Best Defense Award along with the Senior Award. Lambert, who is from Cibolo, Texas, averaged 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals, while starting 21 of 30 contests. She scored double-digits in four out of her final 10 games of the season.
Sophomore Onome Akinbode-James received the "CNC" Scholar-Athlete Award, Most Improved Player Award along with sharing the M.M.O.C., along with Gorecki. Akinbode-James started the final 23 games of the season, while averaging 4.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots. She led Duke with 10 charges taken on the season and ranked 13th in the ACC with a 1.1 blocks per game average.
Mikayla Boykin, who dealt with injuries in each of the last two seasons, made her return to the court in January and was named the winner of the Sixth Player Award. She averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals a contest, while scoring a career-high 15 points on two occasions at Syracuse and at Miami. After having a minutes restriction lifted in February, she averaged 8.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals over her final eight games.
Full list of award winners:
Player of the Year: Haley Gorecki
Senior Award: Kyra Lambert
Most Improved Player: Onome Akinbode-James
Playmaker: Haley Gorecki
Best Defender Award: Kyra Lambert
M.M.O.C.: Haley Gorecki & Onome Akinbode-James
Best Rebounder: Haley Gorecki
CNC Scholar-Athlete Award: Onome Akinbode-James
Sixth Player: Mikayla Boykin
Assist Maker: Haley Gorecki
Best Free-Throw Shooter: Haley Gorecki
#GoDuke
The Blue Devils held an 18-12 record when their season came to an abrupt ending due to the coronavirus. Duke was set to receive an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament, after winning seven out of its last nine contests.
There were three statistical awards given out this year – Best Rebounder, Best Free-Throw Shooter and Assist Maker. Other awards that were named were Player of the Year, Most Improved, Playmaker, M.M.O.C. (Meanest Mother on the Court), Sixth Player, CNC (Choice Not Chance) Scholar-Athlete, Best Defender and Senior Award.
For the second straight season, Gorecki was named the Player of the Year, M.M.O.C., Best Rebounder, Assist Maker and the Playmaker Award. The M.M.O.C. award represents the Blue Devil that does the dirty work, including assists, steals and leads the team in floor burns. With an 85.6 free throw percentage, Gorecki won the Best Free Throw Shooter as well.
Gorecki, a 2019 USBWA All-America, is coming off a season where she averaged 18.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals. The product of Palatine, Ill., product collected seven double-doubles and 12 contests with 20 or more points for the Blue Devils, which ranked second in the ACC. The 6-0 guard was the only student-athlete in power five conferences to average over 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
She was an All-ACC First Team and All-ACC Defensive Team honoree, while being named one of five finalists for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for the top shooting guard in the nation. In the ACC statistics, she ranked second in scoring (18.5), second in steals (2.1), seventh in assists (4.4), third in free throw percentage (85.6), 18th in rebounds (6.6), third in minutes played (36.4), eighth in three-point field goals made (2.0) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (33.7).
After missing the last two seasons with knee injuries, graduate student Kyra Lambert earned the Best Defense Award along with the Senior Award. Lambert, who is from Cibolo, Texas, averaged 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals, while starting 21 of 30 contests. She scored double-digits in four out of her final 10 games of the season.
Sophomore Onome Akinbode-James received the "CNC" Scholar-Athlete Award, Most Improved Player Award along with sharing the M.M.O.C., along with Gorecki. Akinbode-James started the final 23 games of the season, while averaging 4.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots. She led Duke with 10 charges taken on the season and ranked 13th in the ACC with a 1.1 blocks per game average.
Mikayla Boykin, who dealt with injuries in each of the last two seasons, made her return to the court in January and was named the winner of the Sixth Player Award. She averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals a contest, while scoring a career-high 15 points on two occasions at Syracuse and at Miami. After having a minutes restriction lifted in February, she averaged 8.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals over her final eight games.
Full list of award winners:
Player of the Year: Haley Gorecki
Senior Award: Kyra Lambert
Most Improved Player: Onome Akinbode-James
Playmaker: Haley Gorecki
Best Defender Award: Kyra Lambert
M.M.O.C.: Haley Gorecki & Onome Akinbode-James
Best Rebounder: Haley Gorecki
CNC Scholar-Athlete Award: Onome Akinbode-James
Sixth Player: Mikayla Boykin
Assist Maker: Haley Gorecki
Best Free-Throw Shooter: Haley Gorecki
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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