JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- Tusculum College junior Jasmine Gunn added to her list of individual awards Wednesday with the release of the 2010 Daktronics All-Southeast Region Women's Basketball Team, garnering Southeast Region Player of the Year honors for the first time in her career. The team is selected by the sports information directors of the NCAA Division II Southeast Region with voting powered by ATHLETICSITE.COM.
This marks the second year in a row that Gunn has been honored on the Daktronics All-Southeast Region Team, having garnered Second Team honors last season. The 2010 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year is also the first player in program history to be named Region Player of the Year, as well as the school's first player to garner All-Region First Team honors in the Daktronics program.
Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year Phoebe Smith from Columbus State University, Shari Buford from Carson-Newman College, Shannon Singleton-Bates from Francis Marion University, and Anita Bulcher from Newberry College join Gunn on the First Team.
The All-Southeast Region Second Team consists of Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Esty Flores (Virginia Beach, Va.) from Barton, Catawba's Dana Hicks (York, S.C.), Teshimya Tillman (High Point, N.C.) of Clayton State, Lenoir-Rhyne's Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) and North Georgia's Whitney Randolph (Gainesville, Ga.).
Gunn has led the Pioneers to a sterling 20-9 record this season, including a pair of five-game winning streaks, as Tusculum has won six straight and 11 of its last 13 entering this weekend's NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament. The Antioch High School graduate has poured in an even 600 points this year, which is the sixth-highest single-season total in program history.
The 4-11 All-American led the Pioneers to the program's first-ever Food Lion SAC Tournament title on Mar. 7, earning Tournament MVP honors as Tusculum clinched its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. A native of Nashville, Tenn., Gunn has been superb over her last 10 games, posting eight 20-point performances in that span and averaging 26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.
Gunn has been a tremendous part of the Pioneers' success this season, posting the program's highest individual scoring average in 13 years, while entering the week as the only player in the NCAA to rank in the top 35 in scoring, assists, and steals.
The three-time All-SAC performer has jumped eight spots on the program's all-time scoring list this season, currently sitting sixth in school history with 1,506 career points through 91 games. Gunn recently became the first player in program history to surpass both the 1,000- and 1,500-point plateaus in the same season, pouring in 15 markers against Newberry on Sunday to lead the Pioneers to their first-ever SAC Tournament Championship.
Gunn has also dished out 144 assists this season to climb into third in program history, and sixth on the SAC's all-time list with 514 career helpers. Gunn is currently ranked in the top 10 in nine categories in the program record book, including assists per game (1st/5.6), free throws made (3rd/446), free throws attempted (3rd/569), and steals (4th/213).
Tusculum returns to the court on Friday when the Pioneers travel to Greenwood, S.C. to participate in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament, hosted by Lander University. The seventh-seeded Pioneers, who are making their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, will take on second-seeded No. 19 Clayton State University in the quarterfinal round at 2:30 p.m.
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2010 Daktronics All-Southeast Region Women's Basketball Teams
First Team
Shari Buford, Carson-Newman
Phoebe Smith, Columbus State
Shannon Singleton-Bates, Francis Marion
Anita Bulcher, Newberry
Jasmine Gunn, Tusculum
Second Team
Esty Flores, Barton
Teshimya Tillman, Clayton State
Dana Hicks, Catawba
Amber Holt, Lenoir-Rhyne
Whitney Randolph, North Georgia
Southeast Region Player of the Year: Jasmine Gunn, Tusculum
