March 3, 2003

FURMAN'S SHEALEY NAMED SOUTHERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Furman guard Deshara Shealey was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year by a vote of the league coaches, it was announced on Monday.

Shealey, a 5-10 guard out of Prince Edward County High School in Green Bay, Va., led the Southern Conference in scoring for much of the year, ending the regular season ranked second with a 14.6 points per game average. In addition, Shealey ranked second in the Southern Conference in assists (3.89 per game), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.13) and fifth in steals (2.19 per game). In addition to her overall performance this year, Shealey made a last second shot against Virginia on December 16 to give the Lady Paladins a 58-56 victory in Charlottesville, and dished off four or more assists in 14 games.Shealey was also selected to the coaches¹ All-Southern Conference team for the second consecutive season.

³Deshara had an outstanding season from every possible point of view,² said Furman coach Sam Dixon. ³She is an excellent scorer, a good rebounder, she led our team in assists, and she improved her assist/turnover ratio from last year. She had a major impact on everything we did offensively and she provided great leadership on the defensive end. Deshara was also a focal point for every defense we faced this season, they were really concerned about trying to stop her, and I wouldn¹t trade her for any player in the conference.²

The Southern Conference Media Association Player of the Year and all-conference teams will be announced on Tuesday.