Complete release |
Video announcement
SAN FRANCISCO –
Rachel Howard has been tapped as a West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team honoree, announced by the conference offices today.
Hailing from nearby Berkeley, Calif., Howard has compiled averages of 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game in her freshman campaign. The 5-foot-10 guard hits 40.1 percent of her attempts from the field and sports a .337 three-point shooting percentage, 14th in the WCC. She averages nearly a block a game for USF, good for 12th in the league and the top number for freshman in the conference.
She has started 21 of 28 games played, wearing a protective mask for the last half of the conference slate. Howard has recorded 11 double-digit scoring games, tallying a season-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting and four steals in USF's 76-70 victory at Boise State Dec. 14.
"Obviously, Rachel is an outstanding athlete, and I think she's going to continue to grow and develop," head coach
Jennifer Azzi said. "I'm proud of her for this honor, but I also think this year's been tough with her injury. It takes a long time to get used to having to constantly wear a mask, and I think it's been difficult for her vision. She's definitely getting better and better with it as the season goes on, and I think for her to have this honor is just tremendous for her."
This marks the third-straight season with at least one Don on the All-Freshman Team, following the footsteps of current USF players
Taj Winston,
Zhané Dikes and
Taylor Proctor. Dikes and Proctor, both sophomores for the Dons, earned All-WCC honorable mention distinction for their efforts this season.
Proctor leads the team with 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, starting 24-of-26 contests for USF in her second season. The 6-0 forward from Colorado Springs, Colo., has notched 18 double-digit scoring games, and has posted seven double-doubles on the season. Her rebounding figures are good for seventh in the WCC, and she holds the 13th-best scoring output in the league. To go along with her team-high points and rebounds tallies, she adds 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals a night.
Coming on strong to cap the regular season, Proctor closed the year averaging 14.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in the Dons' last three games. She has scored at least 10 points in eight of USF's last nine contests.
Dikes, the 5-9 guard from Las Vegas, Nev., adds 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals for the Dons. Her career-high 28 points against San Diego led the Dons to a 78-74 win on Feb. 6. USF's point guard averages a team-best 2.3 assists a game, good for 14th in the WCC. Dikes gets to the line an average of 5.3 times a game, and hits her free throws at a 75.8 percent clip. Her percentage leads the USF squad and stands as the 13th-best mark in the league.
"I think it's a fantastic honor for our program and for both Z and Taylor to be honorable mention as sophomores," Azzi said. "They're young, and obviously Rachel as all-freshman is young and that's the case with building a program – to have young talent."
The Dons, who open WCC Championships action Thursday at 2 p.m., have but one senior on their youthful squad. USF will meet up with Loyola Marymount as the eighth seed in the conference tournament, looking to complete a three-game season sweep of the Lions.
2013-14 All-WCC Women's Basketball First Team
|
Name
|
Yr.
|
Pos.
|
School
|
|
Lexi Eaton
|
So.
|
G
|
BYU
|
|
Sunny Greinacher
|
Jr.
|
F
|
Gonzaga
|
|
Jennifer Hamson
|
Sr.
|
C
|
BYU
|
|
Amy Kame
|
Sr.
|
G
|
San Diego
|
|
Kendall Kenyon
|
Jr.
|
F
|
Pacific
|
|
Danielle Mauldin
|
Sr.
|
F
|
Saint Mary's
|
|
KiKi Moore
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Pacific
|
|
Jackie Nared
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Saint Mary's
|
|
Haiden Palmer
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Gonzaga
|
|
Hazel Ramirez
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Loyola Marymount
|
2013-14 WCC Women's Basketball Honorable Mention Selections
Morgan Bailey, BYU; Kim Beeston, BYU; Cassandra Brown, Portland; Zhané Dikes, San Francisco; Kate Gaze, Saint Mary's; Nici Gilday, Malina Hood, San Diego; Santa Clara; Taylor Proctor, San Francisco; Jazmine Redmon, Gonzaga; Felicia Wijenberg, San Diego; Jasmine Wooton, Portland
2013-14 WCC Women's Basketball All-Freshman Team
|
Name
|
Pos.
|
School
|
|
Unique Coleman
|
G
|
Pacific
|
|
Allie Green
|
G
|
Pepperdine
|
|
Rachel Howard
|
G
|
San Francisco
|
|
Leslie Lopez-Wood
|
G
|
Loyola Marymount
|
|
Jo Paine
|
F
|
Santa Clara
|
