HIGH POINT, N.C. – Radford senior Johnette Walker (Columbia, S.C./Irmo) earned Big South Defensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the all-academic team, and sophomore Taleia Moton (Fort Washington, Md./Suitland) was named first team all-conference, as announced by the league on Thursday night.
Walker was cited by the Big South for the fourth straight year, earning her first defensive player of the year and second all-academic nod. Moton garnered conference accolades for the second time.
“We’re very honored that the Big South recognized these players,” said head coach Tajama Ngongba. “It’s always nice to earn those conference honors and we’re thrilled that Johnette and Taleia were thought of as among the best in the league this year.”
Radford’s 18th 1,000-point scorer and the second player in program history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 300 steals, Walker became the Big South’s all-time steals leader with 347 this season and has 80 swipes this year. She is ranked 15th in the country with 3.0 steals per game, as Radford leads the conference with 10.15 steals per game. Walker is tied for the Big South single-game high with eight steals against Southern Virginia on Dec. 5. In the balloting for the award, Walker finished with five first-place votes and 13 points.
“I’m glad Johnette’s intensity on defense was recognized,” Ngongba said. “She puts forth a tremendous amount of effort, and we’re proud that she was recognized for her great play, since defense is our bread-and-butter as a team.”
In addition, Walker was recognized for her performance in the classroom, combined with her on-court contributions. Set to graduate in May with a degree in elementary education, she carries a cumulative grade point average of 3.54. Walker, a member of the 2007-08 all-academic squad, has been on Radford University’s Dean’s List four semesters and is a three-time Big South Presidential Honor Roll member.
“What else is there to say? She gets it done,” said Ngongba. “Johnette’s a good person both on and off the court, and she is the example of a true student-athlete.”
This season, Walker has started 20 games and averages 10.9 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and shoots 79.5 percent from the free throw line in 29.6 minutes per game.
Moton, a member of the league’s all-freshman team in 2007-08, leads the Highlanders and is second in the Big South with 14.9 points per game. In 16 conference games, Moton is averaging 16.3 points, second among league leaders. This season, Moton has scored in double figures 20 times and has led the Highlanders in scoring 16 times.
In four games this season, Moton has reached the 20-point mark, including back-to-back Radford wins over Coastal Carolina (Jan. 24) and Charleston Southern (Jan. 26) where she set new career highs, scoring 20 against the Chanticleers and 28 against the Buccaneers. The sophomore guard also poured in 27 points in Radford’s home win over UNC Asheville on March 2.
For the season, Moton has started in 26 of Radford’s 27 games, handing out 2.3 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from the floor in Big South games.
“This is a huge honor for Taleia,” said Ngongba. “Especially going from an all-freshman selection all the way to first team all-conference. Again, we’re very proud of her work this season.”
In addition, first-year head coach Ngongba finished second in the league’s coach of the year balloting.
The Big South awards, voted on by the conference’s coaches and media panel, were given out at the annual awards banquet held at the Hotel High Point.
Radford opens up the 2009 Advance Auto Parts Big South Tournament as the No. 3 seed, facing No. 6 Gardner-Webb at 5:30 p.m. Friday.