April 24, 2001

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Georgetown University women's basketball team held its annual Awards Banquet in the University's Leavey Center on Thursday, April 23, with six players earning awards.

Senior guard and tri-captain Katie Smrcka-Duffy (Sterling, Va./James Madison) and freshman forward Rebekkah Brunson (Oxon Hill, Md./Oxon Hill) were selected as the team's Co-MVP's. Smrcka-Duffy also received the Best Free Throw Shooter Award and the team's Hustle Award for the 2000-01 season. Brunson, in addition to Co-MVP, was tabbed as the Best Rebounder, Co-Best Defensive Player and as Underclass Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Smrcka-Duffy was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection for the third straight year. She is the first player in GU history to record 1,500 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists in their career and was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 WNBA draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. Smrcka-Duffy led the Hoyas during the 2000-01 season in scoring (17.2), 3-point FGM (59) steals (72) and free throw percentage (78.2).

Brunson had an outstanding freshman year for the Hoyas. She was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year after averaging 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. Brunson led the Conference in rebounding. She shot .509 from the floor in her first season. Brunson was also named to the BIG EAST Women's Basketball All-Star Team which will tour Germany from June 10-20.

Sophomore Zsuzsanna Horvath (Budapest, Hungary/ELTE Trefort Agoston (Central Fla. C.C.)) garnered the Most Improved Player Award. The 6-3 forward played all 32 games in 2000-01. She finished the year third on the team in scoring with 8.3 ppg and pulled down 3.9 boards per game.

Senior guard and tri-captain Porshia Jones (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Fort Lauderdale) was named the team's Co-Best Defensive Player with Brunson. Jones ended her senior year with 31 steals and she averaged 2.8 ppg and 1.7 rpg.

Named the Unsung Heroine Award Winner for the 2000-01 season was Zekeera Belton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman). It is the second year in a row that Belton has received this award. She played in seven games during the 2000-01 season and scored her first collegiate points against American.

The Upperclass Scholar Athlete of the Year was guard Dani Ilic (Boeblingen, Germany/Otto-Hahn Gymnasium). Ilic, a senior tri-captain, finished her Hoya career in sixth place on the three-point field goals made list with 73. In her senior season Ilic averaged 3.3 ppg in 14.2 minutes per game.

Georgetown finished the 2000-01 season with a 17-15 overall record and a 6-10 mark in the BIG EAST. They posted at least 17 wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Hoyas advanced to the second round of the WNIT, which marked their third straight invite to a postseason tournament.