Delaware's Dickey Headlines 2020-21 CAA Women's Basketball Postseason Award Winners
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (March 9, 2021) – Delaware junior guard/forward
Jasmine Dickey was chosen as the Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball Player of the Year in voting by the league’s head coaches.
Also receiving top honors were Delaware’s
Natasha Adair as the CAA Coach of the Year, James Madison freshman guard
Peyton McDaniel as the CAA Rookie of the Year, Drexel senior guard
Hannah Nihill as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and UNCW junior guard
Za’Nautica Dowsn as the CAA Sixth Player of the Year. Elon senior guard
Saadia Munford was selected as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Nihill was also honored as the recipient of the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award.
Dickey led the CAA and ranked eighth in the nation in scoring with 23.6 points per game. The junior guard/forward tallied double figures in all 22 games, reached the 20-point plateau 16 times and had five games with 30 or more points. She was also fourth in the conference in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and third in steals (2.4 spg), and recorded seven double-doubles. Dickey is Delaware’s fourth CAA Player of the Year honoree.
Adair earned Coach of the Year honors for the first time after guiding Delaware to its first CAA regular-season title since 2012-13 with a 16-2 mark. The Blue Hens swept seven of their nine conference series and the 16 victories were the most for the Blue Hens in eight years. Delaware finished 11-0 at home this season and went 19-3 overall, including non-conference wins over Pitt and St. John’s.
McDaniel received Rookie of the Year accolades after ranking second on the Dukes in scoring with 12.4 points per game and adding 5.1 rebounds per contest. The freshman scored double digits in 10 of her 14 games and knocked down a team-high 30 three-pointers. She is JMU’s fourth CAA Rookie of the Year in the past six seasons.
Nihill picked up the Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the CAA and ranked 26
th nationally with 2.7 steals per game. She recorded four or more steals seven times this season, including a pair of games with six. The senior helped the Dragons lead the league in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. Nihill is Drexel’s first CAA Defensive Player of the Year recipient.
Downs was honored as the Sixth Player of the Year after ranking seventh in the conference in scoring with 15.7 points per game. The junior guard provided instant offense off the bench, contributing double figures in 12 of her 15 contests. Downs drained a team-best 30 three-pointers and made more than 35% of her shots from beyond the arc. Downs is UNCW’s first Sixth Player of the Year winner.
Munford was selected as the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her strong performance in the classroom and on the court. The senior has a 3.4 grade point average while majoring in marketing and finance. She has made the Dean’s List at Elon in two semesters and was a member of the AD’s Honor Roll five times. On the floor, Munford averaged 9.9 points per game for the Phoenix and was second with 39 assists.
Nihill was also the recipient of the Ehlers Award, which is presented annually to the women’s basketball student-athlete who “embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with her academic athletic achievement.” A first-team all-conference honoree at guard, she holds a 3.4 grade point average while majoring in communications. A captain on the team, Nihill has performed numerous community service projects during her career with the Dragons.
Joining Dickey and Nihill on the All-CAA first team were Delaware junior forward
Ty Battle, James Madison sophomore guard
Kiki Jefferson and Towson senior guard
Kionna Jeter.
Battle led the CAA and ranked 20
th nationally in rebounding with 11.2 per game. She also contributed 12.2 points per contest and ranks third in Division I with 16 double-doubles. Jefferson was among the top 10 in the CAA in scoring (15.2 ppg/8
th), rebounding (7.9 rpg/6
th) and free throw percentage (84.9%/2
nd). Jeter ranks second in the CAA and 11
th in the nation in scoring with 23.2 points per game. She has made a CAA-best 59 three-pointers and is fourth in the league with 2.4 steals per game.
Earning second-team All-CAA honors were Hofstra junior guard
JaKayla Brown (15.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Northeastern senior guard
Stella Clark (14.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg
), Towson sophomore guard
Aleah Nelson (13.6 ppg, 6.3 apg), UNCW senior forward
Carol-Anne Obusek (15.8 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and William & Mary junior guard
Sydney Wagner (21.3 ppg).
Named to the All-CAA third team were Charleston junior guard
Tyler Collins, (13.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg), UNCW’s Downs, Northeastern sophomore forward
Mide Oriyomi (11.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg), James Madison sophomore forward
Rayne Tucker (10.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Drexel junior guard
Keishana Washington (13.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
The awards were announced on the eve of the 2021 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by SonaBank, which will be held March 10-13 at Schar Center in Elon, N.C.
2020-21 CAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS
First Team All-CAA Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School
Ty Battle, Delaware Jr. F 6-0 Plainfield, Ill./Oswego East
Jasmine Dickey, Delaware Jr. G/F 5-10 Baltimore, Md./Catonsville
Kiki Jefferson, James Madison So. G 6-1 Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic
Kionna Jeter, Towson Sr. G 5-8 Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg
Hannah Nihill, Drexel Sr. G 5-3 Drexel Hill, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara
Second Team All-CAA Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School
JaKayla Brown, Hofstra Jr. G 5-10 LaPlata, Md./St. Mary’s Ryken
Stella Clark, Northeastern Sr. G 5-4 Sea Girt, N.J./Manasquan
Aleah Nelson, Towson So. G 5-6 Baltimore, Md./McDonogh
Carol-Anne Obusek, UNCW Sr. F 6-3 Cary, N.C./Grace Christian
Sydney Wagner, William & Mary Jr. G 5-6 Phoenixville, Pa./Spring-Ford
Third Team All-CAA Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School
Tyler Collins, Charleston Jr. G 5-6 Atlanta, Ga./Woodward Academy
Za’Nautica Downs, UNCW Jr. G 5-9 Moultrie, Ga./Colquitt County
Mide Oriyomi, Northeastern So. F 6-0 Hamilton, Ontario/Kings Christian Collegiate
Rayne Tucker, James Madison So. F 6-1 New Carrollton, Md./Riverdale Baptist
Keishana Washington, Drexel Jr. G 5-7 Pickering, Ontario/Durham Prep
2020-21 CAA Player of the Year - Jasmine Dickey, Delaware
2020-21 CAA Coach of the Year – Natasha Adair, Delaware
2020-21 CAA Rookie of the Year – Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
2020-21 CAA Defensive Player of the Year – Hannah Nihill, Drexel
2020-21 CAA Sixth Player of the Year – Za’Nautica Downs, UNCW
2020-21 Dean Ehlers Leadership Award – Hannah Nihill, Drexel
2020-21 CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Saadia Munford, Elon
CAA All-Rookie Team Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School
Jamia Hazell, James Madison Fr. G 5-8 Raleigh, N.C./Southeast Raleigh
Allie Kubek, Towson Fr. F 6-1 Elkton, Md./Sanford School
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison Fr. G 6-0 Birdsboro, Pa./Twin Valley
Tyi Skinner, Delaware Fr. G 5-5 Washington, D.C./TPLS Christian Academy
Maddie Vizza, Northeastern Fr. G 5-6 Southampton, Pa./Germantown Academy
CAA All-Defensive Team Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School
Ty Battle, Delaware Jr. F 6-0 Plainfield, Ill./Oswego East
Jasmine Dickey, Delaware Jr. G/F 5-10 Baltimore, Md./Catonsville
Arynn Eady, Charleston Jr. F 6-1 Atlanta, Ga./St. Francis
Jahsyni Knight, Hofstra Jr. G 5-8 Perth Amboy, N.J./Rutgers Preparatory
Hannah Nihill, Drexel Sr. G 5-3 Drexel Hill, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara