TINA STEPHENS DOES IT AGAIN: NAMED ALL-AMERICAN HONORABLE MENTION

C.S. HOWARD

For the first time in program history at Florida SouthWestern State College, the FSW women’s basketball team has had a student-athlete earn a spot on a NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball All-America Team.

Thanks to a solid rookie season, Tina Stephens was named NJCAA AllAmerican Honorable Mention.

She was recently named the NJCAA Suncoast Conference Player of the Year.

Stephens was a threetime Region 8 Player of the Week and an NJCAA National Player of the Week honoree (Jan. 24), led the Bucs in scoring (14.1 points) and field goal percentage (52.1 percent) and ranked second on the team in rebounds (8.1).

In conference play, the Palmetto High School graduate under Coach Robert Kelly, stepped up her production, averaging a double-double (18.0 points and 10.1 rebounds), while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 83.0 percent from the charity stripe. Stephens, who had 10 double-doubles on the season, scored in double figures 23 times, including 15+ points on 15 occasions.

Head coach Kristie Ward and the Buccaneers wrapped up the 2017-18 season with 26-6 overall record (8-1 Suncoast Conference), earned the program’s first Suncoast Conference championship and secured their second consecutive berth to the NJCAA District VIII Championship. As a team, they finished 14th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (17.3), but they also ranked in the top 50 nationally in multiple categories, including points per game (79.0, 17th), total points (2,529; 18th), field goal percentage (44.0 percent; 20th), total rebounds per game (45.0; 23rd), blocks per game (4.5; 28th) and steals per game (11.3; 46th).