A Tech first
Yellow Jacket guard Butler named ACC rookie of the year
Posted: Thursday March 04, 1999 09:08 PM
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- In her junior season at Riverdale Country
High School, Niesha Butler broke the all-time prep career scoring
record in New York City held by former Archbishop Malloy standout
Kenny Anderson.
Butler, who like Anderson went to Georgia Tech, matched another
one of NBA star's accomplishments on Thursday when she was named
The Associated Press rookie of the year in the Atlantic Coast
Conference.
The 5-foot-8 guard received all 57 votes from the Atlantic Coast
Sports Writers Association, becoming the first Yellow Jacket
women's player ever to receive the award. Eight Georgia Tech men's
players have won the award since 1983, including Anderson in 1990.
"One of the reasons I came to Georgia Tech was to play against
the best competition and prove myself in the ACC," said Butler.
"It's certainly an honor to be recognized as the top freshman."
Butler averaged 19.3 points per game this season and was the
second-leading freshman scorer in the nation behind UNLV's Linda
Froehlich (23.3 ppg). She was the second-leading scorer in the ACC
behind player of the year Summer Erb and also finished in the
league's top 10 in assists (4.4 per game) and steals (1.7 per
game).
She hardly arrived at Georgia Tech unannounced. Butler was one
of USA Today's Super 25 high school prospects last year and was
rated the 37th best player in the nation by the Blue Star Index, a
basketball recruiting guide.
She didn't disappoint, averaging better than 21 points in 16 ACC
games. She scored 40 in a 92-70 win over Florida State on Jan. 2,
the highest point total by any player in the conference this
season.
"Niesha Butler is very deserving of this award," said Georgia
Tech coach Agnus Berenato. "Niesha had a stellar season in the
ACC. She was willing to take the team, put it on her back and go
with it."
The Yellow Jackets went 13-14 this season and 6-10 in league
play, finishing sixth. Next year, Georgia Tech will have to deal
with the loss of senior Kenya Williams, the team's second-leading
scorer and the only other player besides Butler to start every game
this season.
That doesn't seem to bother Butler, who was the ACC rookie of
the week seven times this season.
"All I want to do is bring Georgia Tech women's basketball to
the forefront and help the team exceed all expectations," she
said.
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