March 19, 2008

RUSTON - Louisiana Tech signees Jasmine Bendolph and Kiara Young were named the Alabama Sports Writers Association players of the year for their respective classifications.

Bendolph was named the player of the year for Class 6A while Young received the same honor for Class 3A. The awards were announced today by the ASWA, which selects all-state teams for high school basketball.

Bendolph and Young and the five other girls players honored as players of the year in their respective classifications are eligible for the ASWA's highest prep basketball honors -- the Miss Basketball awards, which will be presented Thursday at the Alabama-Mississippi High School All-Star games in Pelham.

Bendolph, a 5-6 point guard, was a four-year starter at Davidson High School in Mobile, leading the Warriors to 6A state finals appearances in 2005 and 2006. During her senior year, she led Davidson with 16.3 points and 7.7 assists per game.

Young, a 5-foot-9 guard, was a five-year letter-winner at Lauderdale County High School where she led the program to the Alabama Class 3A title game as a junior earning the MVP as after hitting the game winning shot.

She almost led the Tigers back to the title game this year but her team fell a game short, falling 54-52 to Geneva in the state semifinals in a game where Young scorched the nets for 33 points.

Other girls players of the year were Eufaula's Terran Condrey in 5A, Midfield's Courtney Jones in 4A, Lauderdale County's Kiara Young in 3A, Woodland's Courtney Strain in 2A, Spring Garden's Paige Anderson in 1A and Glenwood's Kianna Pinkney in the AISA.