ATLANTA — Georgia Tech’s Niesha Butler (New York, N.Y.) was named the 1999 women’s basketball Player of the Year for the state of Georgia by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, the organization has announced.
“For Niesha to come in her freshman year and achieve what she has is quite remarkable,” said Jackie Bradford, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “To win this award against a number of quality players in the state is a real tribute to her.”
The award is the most recent in a string of postseason honors for Butler, the unanimous choice for the 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie-of-the-Year award. Butler was recently named to freshman all-America teams by the Women’s Basketball Journal and the Women’s Basketball News Service.
“I think it is a tremendous honor that Niesha has been selected to receive this award,” said Georgia Tech head coach Agnus Berenato. “The Division I Player of the Year award, which is given through the Naismith committee, is the most prestigious honor that you can receive on the state level. If you look at a list of players who have received this award, Niesha is in outstanding company. I hope this is a sign of bigger and better things to come in the future.”
A second-team all-ACC choice, Butler led the Yellow Jackets and was the second-leading freshman scorer in the nation, averaging 19.3 points per game. She led the ACC in scoring in conference games only, averaging 21.8 points per contest in league games.
Butler started all 27 games for Tech and also ranked among the league leaders in assists and steals. She also won the ACC’s Rookie of the Week award seven times on the season.
Butler and the rest of the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s honorees will be recognized at the organization’s annual awards banquet on Saturday, April 3 at the Cobb Galleria Center.
