UTEP Lady Miners take home multiple C-USA awards
IRVING, Texas – Conference USA champion UTEP picked up three of the major six individual awards, the league office announced Monday. Head coach Keitha Adams was selected as the C-USA Coach of the Year for the third time of her career, senior guard Starr Breedlove was named the C-USA Newcomer of the Year while junior Sparkle Taylor took home the C-USA Sixth Player of the Year award.
Adams becomes the first coach in C-USA women’s basketball history to secure the honor three times. She previously was so distinguished in 2008 and 2012. Breedlove is the fourth Miner to earn the Newcomer of the Year award, joining former standouts Gloria Brown (2011), Natasha Lacy (2008) and Jareica Hughes (2007). It is also the fourth occasion that UTEP has produced the Sixth Player of the Year; 2016 All C-USA First-Team honoree Jenzel Nash grabbed the award in 2014 while Brown was a back-to-back winner (2011 and 2012).
“It is nice to be recognized, especially by your peers, but this award (coach of the year) is a reflection of the hard work put in by my staff and our players throughout the season,” Adams said. “I’m pleased for Starr and Sparkle to have received the Newcomer of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year. I am very proud of those ladies.”
Adams guided the Miners (25-3, 16-2 C-USA), picked fifth in the preseason C-USA poll, to their third regular-season title (2008, 2012 and 2016) since joining the league. UTEP matched the school and league standard for C-USA wins (16) while also posting 20+ wins for the fourth time in the past five years. The Orange and Blue achieved a national ranking in the top-25 for the second time in program history, and are assured of playing postseason basketball of some kind for the fourth occasion at the school.
Breedlove, the Louisville transfer, was an impact player at both ends of the court for the Miners. She topped C-USA and rated seventh nationally with 3.2 steals/game. She also led the team in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4-seventh C-USA), assists/game (3.8-ninth C-USA), 3-point field-goal percentage (34.6-tied 14th C-USA and shared the lead in double-digit scoring contests (20). Breedlove placed second on the squad for minutes/game (27.7) while checking in third in points/game (12.0-20th C-USA). She also has become the third Miner in program history with at least 90 assists and 90 steals in the same season.
Taylor, who played in 25 games (two starts) this year, was instant offense off the bench for the C-USA Champion Miners. She put up 10.6 points/game in only 17.3 minutes/game, aided by 16 double-digit scoring contests. Taylor nailed 48.4 percent (109-225) of her shots from the floor to place second on the team and 13th in C-USA. She was the top point scorer off the bench for the Miners off the pine 15 times overall, including 10 occasions of the 15 total games played as a back-up in C-USA action.
Top-seed UTEP will open play at the 2016 C-USA Championships when it faces the winner of (8) and host UAB/ (9) Southern Miss in the quarterfinals of the 2016 C-USA Championships at 10 a.m. MT/11 a.m. CT Thursday. Fans can watch for free on AmericanSportsNet.com, listen to Steve Kaplowitz and Traci Miller on 600 ESPN El Paso, KROD-AM Radio or follow @UTEPWBB on Twitter for timely updates.
