March 27, 2003
Agnus Berenato was named Georgia College Coach of the Year for the second time.
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ATLANTA – Georgia Tech women’s basketball’s senior center Sonja Mallory and head coach Agnus Berenato have been named the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Georgia Division I Player and Coach of the Year and will be recognized at the annual Naismith Awards Banquet in Atlanta on April 11.
“I think both of these awards are great examples of hard work paying off,” said Berenato. “It also shows that our program really made a jump this year and to be honored by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and the Naismith Awards shows that we are getting some national recognition for our efforts.”
Mallory becomes the third Yellow Jacket to earn the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Georgia Player of the Year award, joining both Kisha Ford (1994) and Niesha Butler (1999) as the only players in school history to be so honored. She capped an outstanding career in 2003, by earning WBCA All-District II accolades, first-team All-ACC honors and being named to the ACC’s All-Defensive Team for the first time in her career.
“This is a great honor for Sonja,” said Berenato. “Once again, this shows that hard work does pay off in the end. She was the dominant player of the year in the state of Georgia this season and is truly deserving of this honor.”
Mallory led the Jackets in scoring (16.2 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots (1.84 bpg) this season, with her rebounding and blocked shot totals leading the ACC and her scoring average rating third. On the year, she recorded a team- and league-high 11 double-doubles and was the conference’s active leader in that category with 23 in her four years on the Flats.
For Berenato, the honor marks the second time in her career that she has been named the Georgia Division I Coach of the Year, as she also received the award following the 1992 season. In 2003, she led Tech to its most successful season since joining the Division I ranks, matching the school record for wins with 20 and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second time. The Yellow Jackets finished the year with a 20-11 overall record and tied for fourth with an 8-8 record in ACC play, matching the best ACC record in the program’s history.
“To be named the Georgia Coach of the Year is really a great compliment to my staff,” said Berenato. “I know that my name is on the award as the head coach, but this goes straight my staff for all their hard work. This was a great year and the staff really deserved this award.”
Berenato guided a team that had three players earn All-ACC recognition this season, including Mallory, who was a first-team pick and juniors Fallon Stokes and Alex Stewart, who both were named to the third team. Tech also recorded its first-ever win over in-state rival Georgia, claiming a 65-61 decision at Philips Arena on Dec. 27. That win was part of a sweep of in-state opponents for the Jackets in 2003, as Tech also defeated Mercer (96-50) and Atlantic Sun Conference champion Georgia State (65-46) on the year.
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