March 5, 2002
After leading Miami University's women's basketball team to its third straight Mid-American Conference Quarterfinal appearance and turning in one of the most remarkable individual single-season performances in program history, junior guard Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) was honored this evening as the 20th MAC Player of the Year.
Cusick, the first Miami player to lead the league in scoring since Linda Mallender (1981-85) did it in 1983, also became the first Miami standout to be named MAC Player of the Year since Mallender earned the inaugural honor in 1983. An all-around threat, Cusick, who guides the RedHawks against Western Michigan University Wednesday in MAC Quarterfinal action, ranks among the MAC's Top 10 in eight of 12 major statistical categories.
On the season, the Kokomo, Ind., native averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 assists, 2.9 steals and 2.5 3-point field goals per game, ranking among the MAC's top two in each category. She was twice named MAC Player of the Week and amassed a league-high and Miami single-season record 11 20-point scoring games, while leading the Red and White to an 18-10 and 11-5 MAC record.
In the Miami single-season recordbook, Cusick's 494 points rank as the third-highest total in RedHawk history and are just 30 points shy of Mary Ann Myers' 21-year old record. The junior, who already has topped Miami's single-season marks for 3-pointers made (71) and attempted (201), also needs just five dishes to break D'Nelle Seiple's single-season assist mark of 167.
A three-year starter for the Red and White, Cusick has played in all 85 games of her collegiate career and made a remarkable 82 consecutive starts. Selected as a first-team all-MAC honoree yesterday, Cusick is the only player in Miami history to receive all-MAC recognition in each of her first three seasons. Already Miami's career assist leader, the junior is on pace to set career records for points, assists and 3-point field goals. She is the only Miami player (men's or women's) to surpass 1,000 points, 400 assists and 200 steals in a career.
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