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March 10, 2009
IUP senior Jahzinga Tracey continued to add to an ever-growing list of achievements with her selection as the PSAC West Co-Player of the Year, the second time in her career she has received player of the year honors from the conference's head coaches. Tracey shared this year's award with California's Brooque Williams. Tracey and Williams both received four place votes and the same number of total points, creating the first-ever tie for a women's basketball player of the year award. Tracey also earned the PSAC's top individual honor as a sophomore in 2007, was rookie of the year in 2006 and is on the all-conference team for the fourth time in as many years, including the past three on the first team. The Des Moines, Iowa, native was also chosen to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and Daktronics All-Atlantic Region first team and will be a candidate for All-America honors by both organizations. She was on the 10-player WBCA All-America team last year, the first IUP women's basketball player to reach that plateau in 15 years. The versatile Tracey gained this year's PSAC award on the strength of a senior season which saw her average 19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the field (246 of 429) and blocking 31 shots. She ranks third in the PSAC in field goal percentage and fourth in scoring, rebounding and steals. Tracey also ranks sixth in the nation in field goal percentage, 22nd in steals, 23rd in scoring and 38th in rebounding. She has played in all 123 games in her career including 97 starts. She was the MVP of last week's PSAC tournament, the second time she has gained that award, and led IUP to its third straight conference championship. Tracey averaged 20.0 points and 11.0 rebounds as the Crimson Hawks defeated Gannon, West Chester and California to win the PSAC title. Tracey has rewritten the IUP record book during her career. She is first in school history in points (2,071), rebounds (1,078), field goals made (877), field goals attempted (1,691) and steals (374) and is second in scoring average (16.8), fourth in rebounding average (8.8) and blocked shots (97), sixth in field goal percentage (51.9) and seventh in free throws made (269). She is also climbing the PSAC record book, ranking sixth in conference history in points, fourth in field goals made and steals and ninth in rebounds. Tracey is one of only two IUP players with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and has the three highest scoring seasons in school history with 612 in 2006-07, 607 in 2007-08 and 579 so far this year. IUP is 25-5 on the year and ranked 12th in the latest WBCA national poll. The Crimson Hawks open play in the NCAA Atlantic Regional tournament Friday with a 2:30 game versus Johnson C. Smith at California's Hamer Hall. |
