GORHAM, Maine  - Four members of the 2009 Little East Conference champion University of Southern Maine Huskies women's basketball team have been named the 2009 Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) All-State team.  Senior forward Stacey Kent (Northwood, N.H./Coe-Brown Academy) and junior guard Nicole Paradis (Skowhegan, Maine) each earned first team honors and sophomore guard Kaylie DeMillo (Jay, Maine) was named to the second team, while sophomore forward Kristi Violette (Readfield, Maine/Cony) earned all-rookie honors. 

            Recently selected to the All-Little East Conference first team, Kent earned MWBCA first team honors for the second consecutive season after leading the Huskies and the Little East Conference in scoring averaging 15.5 points per game.  Shooting 38.1 percent (45-for-118) from three-point range, the 5-9 forward averages 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game per.  Kent, the 2008 Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year and D3Hoops.com All-Region honoree, is the Huskies' leading scorer averaging 15.5 points per game in 22 games.  Kent, a 5-9 guard, averages 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 38.1 percent (45-for-118) from three-point range.  The leading scorer in the Little East, Kent and is second in the conference in free throw shooting percentage at 83.3 percent (105-for-126). 

            In 106 games in her career, Kent has totaled 1,177 points, 509 rebounds, 201 assists and 140 steals.  She is 11th all-time in points scored while shooting 42.5 percent from the field in her career.  Her 157 career three-point field goals made is good for fourth all time in USM history, while her 42.4 percent three-point field goal shooting percentage currently first all-time.  Kent is second all-time in free throw shooting at 80.4 percent (292-for-363). 

            Earning her first MWBCA honor, Paradis was recently selected to the LEC second team.  The fourth leading scorer for the Huskies this season, Paradis is averaging 10.0 points and a team-leading 3.3 assists per game while shooting 42.0 percent (89-for-212) from the field and 34.5 percent (30-for-87) from three-point range.  Paradis leads USM and the conference in free throw shooting at 87.8 percent (72-for-82) and is the team's leader in steals per game averaging 1.5 (41). 

            Sliding into the starting point guard role for USM during her freshman year, Paradis has played in 85 career games and has 660 points, 151 rebounds, 258 assists, 172 steals in her career.  Her 92 career three-point field goals is eighth all-time and her 258 assists are 16th all-time. 

            DeMillo, the Huskies' second leading scorer, established USM's single-season record for three-point field goals with 74 in 27 games while averaging 13.1 points per game.  Earning first team All-LEC honors this season, DeMillo is shooting 40.0 percent (110-for 275) from the field and 38.5 percent (74-for-192) from three-point range.  Fifth in the LEC in scoring (13.1 ppg) she leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made. 

            In two seasons with USM, DeMillo has played in 56 games totaling 500 points, 109 rebounds, 120 assists, 59 steals and 87 three-point field goals.  The 5-7 guard is averaging 8.9 points per game and a 35.0 percent mark (87-for-248) from three-point range in her career. 

            In her first collegiate season, Violette nearly averaged a double-double for the Huskies scoring 10.7 points and grabbing 9.9 rebounds per game, as teams third-leading scorer and top rebounder.  Posting nine double-doubles throughout the season, Violette scored a career-best 22 points in the Huskies come-from-behind win over Western Connecticut State University in the LEC semifinals.  Earning both MWBCA and LEC All-Rookie honors, Violette established herself as one of the top rebounders early in the season nabbing a season-best 17 in a win against Norwich University and finished the season as the LEC's top rebounder.  Shooting a solid 43.8 percent (106-for-242) from the field, Violette has scored 300 points as a rookie. Violette is also averaging 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

            Southern Maine captured its 19th Little East Conference Tournament Championship in the conference's 23 years with a 64-59 win over the Eastern Connecticut.  Earning the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament, the Huskies are 22-6 and will face Emmanuel College (21-7) in the first round of the tournament on Friday, March 6 (4:00 p.m.) at Amherst College's LeFrak Gymnasium in Amherst, Mass.

2009 Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-State Team

First Team

Val Beckwith            Sr.            Bates College

Stacey Kent            Sr.            University of Southern Maine

Shelby Bradford            Jr.            Husson University

Caitlyn Laflin            Jr.            University of Maine at Farmington

Nicole Paradis            Jr.            University of Southern Maine

Second Team

Alli Gamache            Sr.            University of New England

Maria Noucis            Sr.            Bowdoin College

Alexa Kaubris            Sr.            Bowdoin College

Erica Davis            Sr.            University of Maine at Presque Isle

Ashley Ames            Sr.            University of Maine at Fort Kent

Kaylie DeMilo            So.            University of Southern Maine

All-Rookie Team

Rachael Mack            Fr.            Colby College

Jill Henrikson            Fr.            Bowdoin College

Samantha Goda            Fr.            Maine Maritime

Bree Hanscom            Fr.            Husson University

Kristi Violette            So.            University of Southern Maine

Major Award Winners

Player of the Year:   Val Beckwith, Bates College

Rookie of the Year:   Rachael Mack, Colby College

Coach of the Year:   Adrienne Shibles, Bowdoin College

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