Five Bucs Named All-Conference, Stephens Player of the Year, Ward Coach of the Year
As expected, the #9 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers came away from the Suncoast Conference awards on Tuesday with a haul as Tina Stephens was named Player of the Year, Dr. Kristie Ward was named Coach of the Year, and four other Bucs were named to the All-Conference teams.
FORT MYERS, FLA.- As expected, the #9 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers came away from the Suncoast Conference awards on Tuesday with a haul as Tina Stephens was named Player of the Year, Dr. Kristie Ward was named Coach of the Year, and four other Bucs were named to the All-Conference teams.
Stephens collects Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. She finished second in the league in scoring at 19.5 per game while finishing with the highest shooting percentage of any of the top five scorers outside of teammate Shondell Vickers at 54%. Stephens scored 20 or more points in 6 of 9 Suncoast Conference contests and 12 times overall on the year including a school record 35 point performance against Eastern Florida. Stephens didn't just get it done on the offensive end though, finishing second on the team and third in the league with 7.1 rebounds per game while piling up six double-doubles on the season including three in a row late in the conference season. She set single season school records in 2018-19 in points (527), scoring average (18.8), field goals (176), free throws made (170), and steals (73).
Joining Stephens on the first team were freshmen Za'Nautica Downs and Shondell Vickers. Downs was the Bucs second leading scorer, and third in the conference, putting up 15.2 a night on the season. She started a team high 26 games and finished fourth in the league with 50 made three pointers on the year. She scored in double figures in all nine Suncoast games for the Bucs and went over 20 in three of those contests. Vickers was one of just two players, joining Stephens, to finish in the top five in the conference in both scoring and rebounding this season. Her 13.8 points per game ranked fifth, while her 8.1 rebounds per game topped the Suncoast charts. She also led the league and the state in field goal percentage at 64.1% on the year while ranking second nationally in the category. Her eight double-doubles led the Bucs this season, five of those coming in conference play.
FSW had a pair of players named 2nd Team All-Conference as Tonysha Curry and Nairimar Vargas-Reyes both received the honors. Curry filled up the stat sheet with 7.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game from her point guard spot this season. She scored in double figures eight times and pulled down double digit rebounds three times, including a career high 19 against IMG, one off of the school record set by teammate Shekinah Guthrie earlier in the season. Vargas-Reyes put up 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Bucs during her rookie season. She also reached double figures in scoring eight times on the season, three of those coming in Suncoast Conference play. She was one of the Bucs best on the board late in the season, securing eight or more rebounds in six of FSW's nine conference games.
For the second straight season, FSW Head Coach Dr. Kristie Ward was named the league's Coach of the Year. Ward guided the Bucs to a 28-2 overall record during the regular season, leading them to a top 10 national ranking for the first time in program history. FSW finished undefeated at 9-0 in Suncoast Conference play, winning the league by a full six games.
FSW led the way with five overall selections while Hillsborough and Eastern Florida each had four.
The Bucs will open the FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament on Wednesday, March 6th at 1 PM where they will take on Broward in the quarterfinal round.