University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Anna Petrakova Named Sun Belt Player of the Year
3/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Thursday, March 4, 2004
LAFAYETTE
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The Sun Belt Conference
announced on Thursday that Louisiana-Lafayette center Anna Petrakova is the 2003-04 women's basketball Player of the
Year and a First Team All-Sun Belt member.
The SBC also named the Cajuns
Tiffany Washington as its Newcomer of the Year.
Petrakova's first team selection marks
the first ever All-Sun Belt selection for the Cajuns and
first all-conference selection since 1990. Petrakova is the
first Player of the Year in Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball
history.
The 6-foot-3 junior was consistently
the focal point of opposing defenses, usually double and
triple-teamed. Despite the constant attention, Petrakova hit
double figures in scoring in 23 of 27 games this season, and
led the team in scoring 20 times.
Washington and Petrakova combined for
97 of Louisiana-Lafayette's conference-best 117 blocked
shots. Their defensive presence helped the Cajuns lead the
SBC in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to
shoot just 35.0 percent. The mark ranks eighth in the nation
among 324 Division I women's basketball teams. Perrot was the Cajuns last
all-conference performer, a unanimous first team American
South Conference selection in 1990. She led the nation in
scoring her senior year with 30 points per game. Including
Perrot, UL Lafayette had 14 all-conference picks from
1983-1990 as a member of the Southland and American South
Conferences. A post-season honors drought ensued from 1990
through 2003, a span of 13 seasons. Although not an All-Sun
Belt selection, Tiffany Green was named the SBC's Newcomer
of the Year in 1998.
Petrakova
led the SBC in points (18.7), rebounds (9.6), blocks (64),
free throw attempts (149), free throws made (122) and
double-doubles (11). She ranked third in field goal
percentage (50.7%) and fifth in free throw percentage
(81.9%). Petrakova blocked 64 shots, the second highest
single-season total in school history. Her 122 free throws
this season are six shy of tying Kim Perrot's school record
of 128. She also averaged two assists and one steal per
game.
Washington
transferred from Oklahoma State to play her senior season
with the Cajuns. As opposing defenses continued to pay more
attention to Petrakova, Washington averaged 11 points and 10
rebounds over her last nine games. She averaged 38.8 minutes
per game. The Franklin, La. native ranked second in the SBC
in rebounds (9.0), fifth in blocks (33) and twenty-fourth in
the SBC in scoring (10.0).
All-Time
Louisiana-Lafayette
Women's Basketball All-Conference Selections
1971-82 No conference affiliation
1983 Southland
Douglas, Mary - First Team
Merritt, Lisa - First Team
Reed, Beverly - First Team
1984 Southland
Douglas, Mary - First Team
Merritt, Lisa - Second Team
Reed-Cameron, Beverly - Second Team
1985 Southland
Johnson, Aronji - Second Team
1986 Southland
Johnson, Aronji - First Team
1987 Southland
Cooper, Teena - First Team
Perrot, Kim - Second Team
1988 American South
Perrot, Kim - First Team
Cooper, Teena - Second Team
1989 American South
Perrot, Kim - Second Team
1990 American South
Perrot, Kim - First Team (unanimous)
1991 ASC None
1992-97 SBC None
1998 SBC None
Green, Tiffany (Newcomer of the Year)
1999-03 SBC None
2004 Sun Belt
Petrakova, Anna - First Team
Petrakova, Anna (Player of the Year)
Washington, Tiffany (Newcomer of the Year)
-Ragin' Cajuns-
