Rutgers Women's Basketball Hosts Annual Banquet
Apr 17 | Women's Basketball
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – The Rutgers women’s basketball program held its annual banquet and awards dinner April 17 at the Hyatt New Brunswick. The Scarlet Knights handed out their annual team awards, and inducted the 1999-2000 team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four into the Rutgers Hall of Fame.
Seniors Chelsea Newton (Monroe, LA) and Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) were named the team’s co-Most Valuable Players. Newton also was named the team’s Best Defensive Player, the team’s Most Courageous Player and the recipient of the Cagers Club Award after averaging 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals in 33 contests. The BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, she was named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team and was a preseason candidate for the Naismith National Player-of-the-Year Award as well as the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award. Newton was the second-round selection (22nd overall) of the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2005 WNBA Draft April 16.
Pondexter averaged 14.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 27 games, and was named an All-American by the Associated Press (third team) and Kodak/WBCA (honorable mention). The NCAA Tournament Philadelphia Regional’s Most Outstanding Performer after averaging a tourney-best 24.0 points per game, she was a candidate for three national player-of-the-year awards (Naismith, State Farm Wade Trophy and Wooden Women’s Award) as well as the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard) and was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
Freshman Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ) was named the team’s Best Offensive Player after averaging 12.4 points and 3.5 assists, starting 20 of 35 games.
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, she was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Philadelphia Regional Team, the All-BIG EAST Second Team, the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team and the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.
Junior Michelle Campbell (Princeton, NJ) was named the Scarlet Knights’ Most Improved Player, averaging 11.0 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds as the only player to start all 35 games. The BIG EAST’s Most Improved Player, she was named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team.
Freshman Katie Adams (Ogden, UT) was named the Most Inspirational Player. Adams appeared in 19 games as a rookie this season.
Freshman Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ) received the Coaches Award. A starter in 23 of 35 games, she ranked fifth for the Scarlet Knights in scoring (6.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.5 rpg).
Seniors Rebecca Richman (Brooklyn, NY) and Nikki Jett (Columbia, SC) shared the team’s Scholar-Athlete Award. Jett also was the recipient of the Collins Award (best academic improvement) and the second-annual Chelsea Newton Scarlet Heart Award (player that best exemplifies perseverance and overcoming adversity). Richman averaged 2.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in 34 games. She was the third-round selection (36th overall) of the New York Liberty in the 2005 WNBA Draft. Jett started 28 of 35 games, averaging 5.2 points per contest.
Senior Joseph Liu (Creekskill, NJ) was named the Manager of the Year. Marge Kerber received the Cagers Club Service Award.
The 1999-2000 Rutgers team that advanced to the school’s first-ever Final Four berth in the NCAA Tournament was inducted into the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Rutgers posted a 26-8 overall record and a 12-4 mark in the BIG EAST Conference to finish tied for third place in the regular-season standings. The Scarlet Knights advanced to the final of the BIG EAST Tournament before receiving a second seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, and the right to host the first two rounds of the national tourney. Rutgers dispatched No. 15 Holy Cross 91-70 and No. 10 Saint Joseph’s 59-39 in Piscataway before moving on the West Regional in Portland, OR. RU defeated No. 11 UAB 60-45 in the semifinals, then upset top-seeded Georgia 59-51 in the regional final, punching the team’s ticket for the Final Four in Philadelphia. The Scarlet Knights’ dream season ended with a
64-54 loss to Tennessee.
No. 9/10 Rutgers (28-7, 14-2 BIG EAST), the BIG EAST regular-season champion and BIG EAST Tournament runner-up, advanced to the regional final of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
