Jocelyn Willoughby Named VaSID State Player of the Year
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s basketball senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) has been named the VaSID Women’s Basketball State Player of the Year, as announced Friday (Apr. 3) by the Virginia Sports Information Directors.
Willoughby finished the season as the ACC scoring leader at 19.2 points per game, making her just the second player in program history to pace the conference in scoring. She also ranked 10th in the ACC in rebounding at 7.5 per game and was named All-ACC First Team in votes by the Blue Ribbon Panel and the league’s head coaches. She is also a regional finalist for the WBCA All-America team.
Willoughby, a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, was the first player in program history to be the recipient of the 2019-20 Kay Yow Award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Willoughby was also named to the 2019-20 All-ACC Academic Team, making her Virginia’s first four-time recipient of that honor.
This is the 10th time a Cavalier has been named the State Player of the Year, joining Daphne Hawkins (1988), Dawn Staley (1991-92), Wendy Palmer (1995-96), Schuye LaRue (2001), Brandi Teamer (2002) and Monica Wright (2009-10).
Player of the Year
Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
Rookie of the Year
Kyla McMakin, Longwood
Coach of the Year
Nikki McCray, Old Dominion
First Team
Taylor Edwards, Old Dominion
Chanette Hicks, Norfolk State
Eva Hodgson, William & Mary
Kamiah Smalls, James Madison
Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
Second Team
Nicole Cardano-Hillary, George Mason
Kayla Cooper-Williams, James Madison
Keyen Green, Liberty
Kyla McMakin, Longwood
Tera Reed, VCU
Laren VanArsdale, Hampton