Tamika
Dudley repeats as a member of the Division I All-Met team
April 10, 2002
Junior forward Tamika
Dudley (Woodbridge, VA), one of the most feared and tenacious
players in the Northeast Conference, was named to the Women's
Basketball Division I All-Met team for the second straight season.
The awards are given
to the elite players from the tri-state area by the Met Basketball
Writers Association. The official presentation will take place
Wednesday, April 24 at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford,
NJ.
Dudley earned the honor
on the strength of her team-high 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds
per contest for LIU (18-12, 13-5 NEC), becoming the school’s
first NEC Player of the Year. She was seventh and third, respectively,
in the league in both categories and fourth in field goal percentage
(.551), helping the Blackbirds reach the NEC championship game
for the second straight season.
The 5-9 standout erupted
for nine double-doubles this season, raising her career total
to 22, and posted a pair of three-game streaks. She was a two-time
NEC Player of the Week, leading the Blackbirds to their best conference
record in school history and their greatest win total in 25 years.
Dudley’s accomplishments
culminated in the NEC Tournament, averaging 13.7 points and 7.3
rebounds over three contests to make the all-tournament team.
The Blackbirds' attempt at a second straight conference title
was denied by St. Francis (PA).
Among her other awards
this season was a selection to the all-tournament team at the
Southwest Lobo Shootout in Albuquerque, NM (13.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg)
and becoming the first two-time “Battle of Brooklyn”
MVP with 17 points and nine rebounds January 7 against St. Francis
(NY). She scored at least 20 points nine times this season with
LIU posting an 8-1 record.
Dudley is in the school’s
top 10 list in six categories, highlighted by her 1,268 points
that is good for fifth place. She is the Blackbirds’ leader
in free throws with 313, fourth best in assists with 267, sixth
in field goals with 474, seventh in steals with 178 and eighth
in rebounds with 713. Dudley has played in all of LIU’s 90
games the past three seasons, averaging 14.1 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Dudley carries a 3.39
GPA in Physical Education and recently was one of seven Blackbirds
to be named to the NEC Winter Academic Honor Roll. LIU’s
total equals that of Sacred Heart for the most women’s basketball
players at one school.
In her award-winning
campaign last season, Dudley averaged 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds
as LIU clinched its first NEC title and first NCAA Tournament
berth. An All-NEC selection last season and an NEC All-Rookie
pick in 2000, Dudley averaged 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in
the conference tournament to win MVP honors.
