Stevenson, Beddoe, & Burns Take Top NECC WBB Honors
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Three members of the Mitchell College women's basketball program received major awards from the New England Collegiate Conference on Wednesday morning as the league announced its annual women's basketball honors.
Senior guard Dede Stevenson (Hartford, Conn.) was named NECC Defensive Player of the Year and landed one of the six spots on the all-conference team. Classmate Jamya Beddoe (New London, Conn.) was selected as NECC Rookie of the Year, while head coach Courtney Burns was tabbed NECC Coach of the Year.
Stevenson becomes the second consecutive Mitchell women's basketball player to earn Defensive Player of the Year from the NECC (Le'Sandra Turner 2022), while Beddoe's selection as Rookie of the Year makes it two years in a row a Mariners player has received that honor (Yasmine Santos 2022). For Burns, this marks the second time in her six-year tenure at Mitchell she has been named NECC Coach of the Year, having also received the recognition in 2019.
Seniors Amina Wiley (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and Sam McKenna (Millbrook, N.Y.) joined Stevenson on the six player All-NECC team.
Stevenson anchored a Mariners defense that allowed just 62 points per game in the regular season, fewest in the conference. This dropped to conference low average of 58.5 points during the six NECC games in which the Mariners went a perfect 6-0. Stevenson finished fourth overall in the NECC with 2.4 steals per game and averaged 4.5 rebounds per game during the regular season all while constantly made her presence felt in the Mitchell backcourt. She upped the intensity during conference play, averaging 5.5 rebounds across six NECC games, four of which the Mariners defense held the opponent to 60 points or fewer. Stevenson was named NECC Player of the Week twice (weeks ending 1/15/23, 2/19/23).
Beddoe averaged 5.9 points and 1.8 rebounds across 23 games for the Mitchell women's basketball team and was three times selected as the NECC Rookie of the Week (weeks ending 12/18/22, 1/2/23, 1/22/23. Beddoe scored in double figures in six games, including a mid-season stretch where she reached double digit scoring in six of seven games. She poured in a season best 19 points in December against Fitchburg State, shooting 7-11 from the field and 5-8 from three-point range in the contest. During conference play averaged 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
Burns, who in 2019 became the third coach in program history to earn the top coaching honor, guided the Mariners to a 16-9 overall record, including a perfect 6-0 in conference play to claim the regular season title. With Burns at the helm, Mitchell wrapped the regular season on a seven game winning streak, averaged a conference best 75.2 points per game and allowed a conference lowest 62.0 points per contest. Under her guidance, two Mariners took home major conference awards and three earned all-conference recognitions.
Wiley put together another standout season for the Mitchell women, averaging 15 points, 10.8 rebounds, and just under one block per game. The 15 points per game were second in the conference while her 10.8 rebounds were tops in the NECC, and she was also second in the NECC with a 58.4% field goal percentage.
McKenna averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.2 assists per game for the Mariners. During conference play, McKenna only elevated her game, averaging 13.8 points, including a 29-point performance at New England College and a 21-point performance at home against Eastern Nazarene College.
Jermia Dumas (Stratford, Conn.) also represented Mitchell as one of four players selected for the Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team.
Mitchell (16-9 overall) will host fourth-seeded Lesley University in the semifinals of the 2023 NECC Championship on Thursday, February 23rd, at 6:00 pm.
2023 NECC Awards
Player of the Year - Alondra Jimenez, Eastern Nazarene College
Defensive Player of the Year - Dede Stevenson, Mitchell College
Rookie of the Year - Jamya Beddoe, Mitchell College
Coach of the Year - Courtney Burns, Mitchell College
All-NECC
Alondra Jimenez, Eastern Nazarene (Sr., G, Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Sophia Torres, Lesley (Sr., F, Fort Mohave, Ariz.)
Amina Wiley, Mitchell (Sr., F, New Rochelle, N.Y.)
Sam McKenna, Mitchell (Sr., G, Millbrook, N.Y.)
Dede Stevenson, Mitchell (Sr., G, Hartford, Conn.)
Ericka Pratt, New England Col. (Sr., F, Miami, Fla.)
Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team
Delaney Walker, Eastern Nazarene (Jr., G/F, Nampa, Idaho)
Samirah Osbourne, Lesley (Fr., G, Woodland, Calif.)
Jermia Dumas, Mitchell (Jr., G/F, Stratford, Conn.)
Alissia Corona, New England Col. (Jr. G, Wylie, Texas)