The 2007-08 Big West All-Speciality Team was announced today, with UC Santa Barbara junior Whitney Warren earning Defensive Player of the Year, teammate Ashlee brown picked up Best Sixth Woman accolades and UC Irvine senior Stephanie Duda collected the Best Hustle Player award. The awards were voted on by their peers.
Warren, playing in 26 games during the 2007-08 season, ranks fifth on the Gauchos squad in rebounding with a 4.0 average. She recorded a season-high nine rebounds against UC Davis. She tied a career-high nine rebounds on Feb. 23, 2008, against UC Davis. The Lawndale, Calif., native has also made her presence felt away from the basket, forcing 24 turnovers. Warren, a 5-8 junior, is shooting .357 (30-of-84) from the field and has dished 19 assists.
As a freshman, Brown has come off the bench and made an immediate impact on the Gaucho squad, both offensively and defensively, to earn Big West Best Sixth Women accolades. Hailing from Chandler, Ariz., Brown averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest this season. The 6-0 forward played in all 28 UC Santa Barbara contests, starting six, and saw 16.1 minutes of playing time per game. She owns a .486 field goal percentage (.486) and has collected 10 blocks and 19 steals over the course of the season. Playing 25 minutes off the bench against UC Riverside (3/1), Brown scored a career-high 22 points to lead all scorers. A week earlier versus UC Davis, she posted her first double-double of her collegiate career with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Finishing the regular season as the only player to average a double-double on the season secured the 2007-08 Big West Best Hustle Player selection for Duda. The Lakewood, Calif., native enters this week's Big West Women's Basketball Tournament with a league-high 10.2 rebound average, while ranking ninth in the conference in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per contest. Duda not only holds the highest single-game rebound total this season at 19, but her impressive rebound average ranks her in the nation's top 20. The 5-10 forward was also aggressive away from the basket as she collected 42 steals.
2007-08 BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Whitney Warren, UC Santa Barbara
2007-08 BIG WEST BEST SIXTH WOMAN
Ashlee Brown, UC Santa Barbara
2007-08 BIG WEST BEST HUSTLE Player
Stephanie Duda, UC Irvine