Janaiya Mintze Named to USA South Sportsmanship Team

USA South 2021-22 Women's Basketball Awards Announced

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The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its 2021-22 All-Conference awards for women's basketball. Individually, Piedmont's Livia Skinner was named Player of the Year, Methodist's Kiley Hicks earned Rookie of the Year, while the Southern Virginia duo of Katie Garrish and Lynette Schroeder were named Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively. Additionally, the USA South recognized an All-Sportsmanship Team, consisting of one member from each competing school who their coach felt displayed the best sportsmanship this season.

All awards are voted on by the women's basketball coach at each institution. The divisional team voting is completed only by those coaches in the particular division. The all-conference and individual award voting is completed by all coaches.

Skinner, a senior guard from Rome, Georgia, becomes just the second Piedmont women's basketball student-athlete to be named USA South Player of the Year (Amari Price, 2018-19). Skinner, who currently ranks second in scoring within the USA South, averaging 17.7 points per game, sits atop the category of points-per-40 minutes played with 24.5. She is third in the League with a 40.6 three-point shooting percentage while her 52.6 overall field goal percentage ranks second. In addition to her offensive output, Skinner is averaging 3.4 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.5 rebounds per game. In USA South-only games, Skinner led the League with a 48.0 three-point shooting percentage to go along with averaging 16.3 points, 3.1 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.1 rebounds per contest. Skinner finds herself on the All-Conference team for the second consecutive season, this time as a First Team All-Conference and First Team All-West Division performer. Finally, she was named USA South Player of the week once this winter.

Hicks, a freshman forward from Wylie, Texas, becomes just the second Methodist women's basketball student-athlete to be named USA South Rookie of the Year (Kristen Whitehurst, 2005-06). Hicks averaged 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists during her first year on campus. She scored in double-figures 18 times this season, with one double-double. Hicks led all rookies in field goal shooting percentage with a mark of 51.3%. Against USA South opposition, Hicks averaged 12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Finally, Hicks was named USA South Rookie of the Year four times this season.

Garrish, a senior forward from Annandale, Virginia, collects the Conference's inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award in the sport of women's basketball. Garrish currently leads the Conference in blocked shots with 56, equating to 2.4 per game which ranks 18th in the nation. Additionally, Garrish is tied for sixth in the USA South in rebounding average with 9.0 per game. In Conference contests-only this winter, Garrish again led the League with 42 blocks, good for a 2.5 per game average. For her all-around performance this season, which includes averaging 14.9 points per contest, Garrish was named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-East Division.

Schroeder, in her third year as Southern Virginia's head coach, earns her first USA South Coach of the Year honor in the Knights' inaugural season within the Conference. Schroeder's Knights, picked by the coaches in the preseason to place seventh in the division, captured a share of the East Division title. Southern Virginia concluded Conference play with a 17-1 record to go along with a current 22-4 overall mark. Next up for the Knights is the USA South Tournament semifinals, thanks to a recent quarterfinal win as the top-seeded team from the East Division.

The 2021-22 USA South Women's Basketball All-Conference Team: