February 25, 2022
Murray Player of the Year, Six Bucs All-Conference Picks
Freshman Jayla Murray was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year and Head Coach Dr. Jerald Ellis was named the Coach of the Year, leading six Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers on the Southern Conference All-Conference Teams announced Friday by the league.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- Freshman Jayla Murray was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year and Head Coach Dr. Jerald Ellis was named the Coach of the Year, leading six Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers on the Southern Conference All-Conference Teams announced Friday by the league.
Leading the Bucs six All-Conference picks was Jayla Murray who was a unanimous pick for the league's Player of the Year. The freshman averaged 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in conference play, both team bests. She scored in double figures in all but two conference games this season, topping the 20 point mark on three occasions. She notched four double-doubles in league play, including three straight, her best effort coming with a 23 point, 15 rebound game in a dominating win over Indian River.
Macarena Retamales joined Murray on the 1st Team All-Conference squad, filling up the stat sheet to the tune of 13.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game for the Bucs in conference play. A constant producer for the Bucs, she scored 10 or more points in 7 of 9 conference games, including a 21 point effort in FSW's first win over Indian River.
The third Buc on the 1st Team was sharpshooter Sariana Rodriguez. Rodriguez put up 11.1 points per game for the Bucs in conference play, sniping at a 44% clip from downtown which led the league by a wide margin. She had three of her best four scoring efforts of the year down the stretch to help the Bucs seal up the Conference title, putting up 50 points in FSW's final three games of the conference season.
Tyshonne Tollie was the top vote getter on the 2nd Team for the second straight season. Tollie averaged 8.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during conference play, notching a pair of double-doubles, both against Miami Dade.
The second 2nd Teamer for the Bucs was freshman Aaliyah Williams. Williams put up 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in conference play, shooting an even 50% from the field. The Bucs sixth man, Williams had four double digit scoring efforts including a career high 17 in a win over Miami Dade.
Joining Tollie and Williams on the 2nd Team was point guard Natalia Tondi. Tondi averaged 4.3 assists per game in conference play which ranked 2nd in the league.
At the helm for the Bucs, Head Coach Dr. Jerald Ellis earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year for the second straight season after leading FSW to their fifth consecutive conference crown this season.
The Bucs closed the regular season at 21-5 and will enter the postseason as the #4 seed for the FCSAA State Tournament. FSW will square off against #14 Chipola in the tournament quarterfinals Thursday at 9 PM (EST) at Raider Arena in Niceville, Florida.
If you can't make the trip up to the Panhandle to cheer on the Bucs in person, you can watch them live at their official watch party at Buckett's with 15% of each ticket going right back to FSW Athletics.
2022 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS