April 27, 2009
Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University women's basketball squad held its annual awards banquet on Sunday and honored five student-athletes with major awards. The Hoyas had one of the best seasons in recent memory posting a 20-14 record and advancing to the fourth round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Shanice Fuller (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) was awarded the Paluszek Family Hoya Award and the Ed Rogozinski Assists Award. The junior point guard was Georgetown's third-leading scorer with 8.1 ppg and averaged a team-best 4.0 assists per game. The Hoya Award is given to the player who exhibits dedication, passion and a commitment to excellence in basketball, academics and community service. Fuller led the squad from her position as point guard. She hit two last second game-winners including one against Providence and one at Syracuse.
The Joseph Lonardo Rebounding Award went to junior Jaleesa Butler (St. Louis, Mo./Alton) who had a breakout season in the paint. The forward led the team in rebounding averaging 5.3 rpg overall and 5.8 rpg in conference play. She was Georgetown's second leading scorer averaging 10.0 ppg and shot an impressive 55.6 percent from the field. Butler's most memorable game of the season was a 26 point, seven rebound performance to down South Florida at the Sun Dome.
Kenya Kirkland (Brooklyn, N.Y./Grand Street Campus) was named the Abigail Dillon Mullan Scholar Athlete after playing a key role off of the bench for the Hoyas. The guard and defensive specialist appeared in 31 contests often given the task of guarding the opposition's leading scorer. Kirkland also excels in the classroom as a psychology major posting the squad's highest GPA.
Sophomore Monica McNutt (Suitland, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) earned the Depasquale Family Steals Award after leading the team in steals with 49 on the season to averaging 1.4 per game. McNutt and the Hoyas had one of the top defenses in the league ranking eighth in scoring defense and sixth in field goal percentage defense. McNutt was a mainstay in the Georgetown lineup and was GU'a fourth leading scorer averaging 8.0 ppg.
Finally, freshman Adria Crawford (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison) was given the Laura Farina Hustle Award. Crawford was one of the leading offensive rebounders in the BIG EAST all season and had a team-best 98 offensive boards. The forward also took more charges than any player on the squad.
Georgetown will lose three players to graduation including leading scorer Karee Houlette (Houston, Texas/Cypress Springs). However, the Hoyas are bringing in a nationally-ranked recruiting class and return four of five starters.
