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Cirone Wins Second-Consecutive Jackie Stiles Player of the Year Award
March 13, 2008
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - After her third remarkable season, Illinois State junior guard Kristi Cirone was named the Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season. She was presented the award at the Rawlings Coach of the Year/MVC Awards Presentation that officially opened the 2008 State Farm MVC Women's Basketball Tournament in St. Charles, Mo. on Thursday, March 13. Cirone, the seventh junior to win the award, has been named all-conference and received a conference specialty award in each of her three seasons. A first-team All-Valley selection for the second-straight season, Cirone led the Valley in assists (5.6 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.04), while finishing second in scoring (16.3 ppg) and steals (2.6 spg). She was the only player ranked in the top-10 in the Valley in scoring, field goal percentage (.491), three-point field goal percentage (.400), assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and steals. A three-time MVC Player of the Week, she became the 22nd player in ISU history to eclipse 1,000 points in her career earlier this season and currently ranks eighth with 1,404 points. Cirone was equally dominant in conference play, ranking second in scoring (17.3 ppg) and assists (4.6 apg), sixth in field goal percentage (.514), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.420) and first in steals (3.1 spg) in Valley games. She scored in double-figures 16 times and recorded at least five assists eight times. The Chicago native also ranks among the best point guards in the nation. As of the NCAA statistics from March 9, Cirone ranked first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, 20th in assists, 66th in steals and 85th in both scoring and field goal percentage. Cirone is a final nominee for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is given to the top-point guard in Division I. She scored in double-figures 26 times this season, led the team in scoring 12 times and assists 19 times. Cirone eclipsed 20 points seven times, including a season-best 27 at Southern Illinois. Her 12 assists against Indiana State tied her career-high and were tied for the most by a Valley player this season along with Missouri State guard Tahnee Ballerio.
For the second-consecutive year, Cirone was an MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team selection and earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-Academic District V Second-Team laurels in February. She was named the MVC/Prairie Farms Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times. Cirone became just the fourth player in the history of the Valley to be named player of the year in back-to-back seasons. Wanda Ford (Drake) achieved the feat in 1985-86, Jackie Stiles (Missouri State) won the award three times from 1999-2001 and Christy Neneman (Creighton) was player of the year from 2002-03. Cirone and Stiles are the only players to be named freshman of the year and win player of the year as sophomores and juniors. Besides Cirone's two player of the year awards, Illinois State has had two other players have received the honor. Susan Wellman won the award in 1987-88 and Pam Tanner followed with her own the next season, 1988-89. ISU's four player of the year awards are the third-most in the Valley, behind Missouri State's seven and Drake's six. This season was the seventh that a school won consecutive player of the year awards. The Redbirds (23-6, 13-5 MVC) are the No. 1 seed in the 2008 State Farm MVC Women's Basketball Tournament. ISU will play the winner of #8 Bradley/#9 Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 14, at 12:05 p.m. at the Family Arena in St. Charles. |
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