Ole Miss women’s basketball players were named to All-SEC teams this week. Junior forward Madison Scott was awarded Second-Team All Defense, while senior guard Angel Baker was named to the First-Team All Defense.
“(It) just goes to show the power of our team,” head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “The fact that those two got recognized is incredible. (It) just shows that we’ve been developing players. And this is, I think, maybe my five years, three years where we’ve had an all-conference selection, so I’m just really proud of that.”
Baker notched her first First Team All-SEC award since transferring from Wright State two seasons ago. Baker previously was named the SEC Sixth Woman of the Year during the postseason last year.
Baker averaged 15.0 points per game this season, and a stronger 16.9 points in SEC play, including a season-high of 25 points against Auburn on Jan. 23. Her growth has been noticed by many including McPhee-McCuin.
“What I can say is, a lot of it has to do with her (Baker) willingness to be vulnerable, meaning her willingness to be coached and to be pushed and to be challenged,” McPhee-McCuin said. “And I think she’s stepped up to it. And I also think she has room to grow, which is encouraging for me and our staff.”
The women’s basketball mantra, “We Defend,” wasn’t embodied by anyone better than Scott. Scott posted 168 defensive rebounds, 32 steals and 30 shots blocked during the regular season
“It just made me so appreciative,” Scott said. “I thank God immediately, and I also thank my teammates and my coaches because without them, I’m nothing.”
Scott is a former five-star recruit who is no stranger to high expectations and pressure to perform at a high level. But even for a player like Scott, it’s hard to ignore emotions and feelings.
“I got emotional when I saw it,” Scott said. “We work so hard. I work so hard, you know, I just want to do whatever I can to help my team. So to get those awards, it just showed me that the sky’s the limit, and there’s so much more I can do and I can’t wait to show that.”
The women’s team will travel to Greenville, S. C., to play in the SEC tournament with their first game starting in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 3 on SEC Network.
