JMU's Smalls Named CAA Women's Basketball Player of the Year
RICHMOND, Va. (March 10, 2020) – James Madison senior guard Kamiah Smalls was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s 10 head coaches.
The Dukes’ Kiki Jefferson was named CAA Rookie of the Year, while teammate Kayla Cooper-Williams earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Drexel collected a pair of awards, with Denise Dillon being named CAA Co-Coach of the Year and Keishana Washington collecting CAA Sixth Player of the Year honors. William & Mary’s Ed Swanson was also named CAA Co-Coach of the Year.
Smalls led James Madison in scoring this this season, ranking second in the CAA with 18.6 points per game. She is the first Duke to earn the honor of Player of the Year since Precious Hall in 2017—the year Smalls was named CAA Rookie of the Year. Smalls played a key role in leading JMU to the top of the CAA charts in scoring offense, as the Dukes averaged 71.0 points per game.
Jefferson is the first Duke to earn CAA Rookie of the Year since her teammate Kamiah Smalls did so in 2017. Jefferson was the leading scorer among CAA freshman in 2019-20, averaging 9.8 points per game. She led the Dukes in scoring in five games this season and was second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.
Cooper-Williams collects her second consecutive CAA Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2019-20. Cooper-Williams was the leader of James Madison’s CAA-leading defense that allowed 54.9 points per game. She ranked first in the CAA with 3.0 blocks per game, a mark which puts her ninth nationally. She holds the James Madison record and sits second in CAA all-time history with 310 career blocks. She finished the regular season ranked third in the CAA with 9.2 rebounds per game.
Keishana Washington was stellar for Drexel off the bench this season, becoming the first Dragon to earn CAA Sixth Player of the Year honors. Washington ranked second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game. She also led the team with 46 three-point field goals made. Washington led the Dragons in scoring in 10 of the team’s 30 contests this season.
Dillon led the Dragons to their second CAA regular season title in three seasons and the top seed in the 2020 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Sonabank. The Dragons were once again among the top teams in the CAA in scoring defense, ranking second in the league with just 55.4 points allowed per contest.
The Tribe experienced an historic season under Swanson in 2019-20. Picked to finish seventh in the CAA preseason poll, the Tribe captured the No. 3 seed for the CAA Championship after finishing third in the league with a 12-6 record. William & Mary tallied a program record 21 wins in the regular season and 12 wins in CAA play.
Joining Smalls in earning First Team All-CAA honors was Delaware’s Nicole Enabosi (17.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg), Drexel’s Bailey Greenberg (17.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg), William & Mary’s Eva Hodgson (20.4 ppg, 3.6 apg) and Towson’s Kionna Jeter (18.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg).
2019-20 CAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS
2019-20 All-CAA First Team
| Nicole Enabosi |
Delaware |
Gr. |
F |
6-0 |
Gaithersburg, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel |
| Bailey Greenberg |
Drexel |
Sr. |
F |
5-11 |
North Wales, Pa./Archbishop Wood |
| Eva Hodgson |
William & Mary |
So. |
G |
5-9 |
Rindge, N.H./New Hampton School |
| Kionna Jeter |
Towson |
R-Jr. |
G |
5-8 |
Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg |
| Kamiah Smalls |
James Madison |
Sr. |
G |
5-10 |
Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti |
2019-20 All-CAA Second Team
| Jackie Benitez |
James Madison |
R-Sr. |
G |
5-10 |
Jersey City, N.J./Pocono Mountain West |
| Jasmine Dickey |
Delaware |
So. |
G |
5-10 |
Baltimore, Md./Catonsville |
| Alexis Hill |
Northeastern |
So. |
F |
5-11 |
Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon Catholic |
| Nukiya Mayo |
Towson |
Sr. |
G/F |
6-3 |
Bronx, N.Y./Monsignor Scanlan |
| Victoria Reynolds |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
F |
5-10 |
Fairfax, Va./Archbishop Spalding |
2019-20 All-CAA Third Team
| Ariel Colon |
Elon |
Jr. |
G |
5-10 |
Orlando, Fla./Ocoee |
| Kayla Cooper-Williams |
James Madison |
R-Sr. |
C |
6-2 |
Dumfries, Va./C.D. Hylton |
| Latrice Perkins |
Charleston |
So. |
G |
5-11 |
Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow |
| GiGi Smith |
UNCW |
R-Sr. |
G |
5-10 |
Norfolk, Va./Lake Taylor |
| Keishana Washington |
Drexel |
So. |
G |
5-7 |
Pickering, Ontario/Durham Prep |
CAA Player of the Year: Kamiah Smalls, James Madison
CAA Rookie of the Year: Kiki Jefferson, James Madison
CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Kayla Cooper-Williams, James Madison
CAA Sixth Player of the Year: Keishana Washington, Drexel
CAA Co-Coaches of the Year: Denise Dillon, Drexel & Ed Swanson, William & Mary
Dean Ehlers Recipient: Shannon Todd, Northeastern
CAA Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Lacey Suggs, UNCW
2019-20 CAA All-Rookie Team
| Bre Bellamy |
William & Mary |
Fr. |
G/F |
6-0 |
Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney |
| Sorelle Ineza |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
G |
5-7 |
Longueuil, Quebec/Dawson |
| Kiki Jefferson |
James Madison |
Fr. |
G |
6-1 |
Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic |
| Rayne Tucker |
James Madison |
Fr. |
F |
6-1 |
New Carrollton, Md./Riverdale Baptist |
| Taylor Williams |
Charleston |
Fr. |
G/F |
5-9 |
Daytona Beach, Fla./Father Lopez |
2019-20 CAA All-Defensive Team
| Kayla Cooper-Williams |
James Madison |
R-Sr. |
C |
6-2 |
Dumfries, Va./C.D. Hylton |
| Jasmine Dickey |
Delaware |
So. |
G |
5-10 |
Baltimore, Md./Catonsville |
| Alexis Hill |
Northeastern |
So. |
F |
5-11 |
Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon Catholic |
| Kionna Jeter |
Towson |
R-Jr. |
G |
5-8 |
Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg |
| Ahyiona Vason |
UNCW |
Sr. |
G |
5-4 |
Montgomery, Ala./Jefferson Davis |