WIlliamson News

The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team earned a pair of postseason honors on Tuesday as the Ohio Valley Conference announced its year end awards as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.  Freshman forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks hauled in several honors, including being named OVC Freshman of the Year while also earning spots on the All-OVC first team and All-Newcomer squad. Sophomore guard Shae Littleford also garnered All-OVC second team honors.  A native of Jackson, Tenn., Currie-Jelks posted a dazzling debut season for the Skyhawks in which she became the fourth player in program history to be named OVC Freshman of the Year, joining former recipients Heather Butler (2010-11), Ashia Jones (2013-14) and Kendall Spray (2016-17). The 6-2 forward has been no stranger to league honors this season as she set a program record with nine OVC Freshman of the Week accolades while also earning back-to-back OVC Player of the Week selections to end the regular season. Additionally, she becomes just the 14th individual to earn All-OVC first team honors in program history. 

Currie-Jelks wrapped up the regular season by averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field. Her numbers rank in the top-five in the league, sitting third in points and field goal percentage while coming in fifth in rebounding. She has tallied 21 games in double figures while eclipsing 20 points or more in six contests – including a season-high 30 points against Southeast Missouri (Jan. 5). On the rebounding end, she has had five or more rebounds in 21 contests while notching four double-doubles against Troy (Nov. 10), Southeast Missouri (Jan. 5), Eastern Illinois (Feb. 9) and Tennessee Tech (Feb. 18). Defensively, she has tallied 36 steals and 27 blocks – including a season-best five blocks against both Eastern Illinois (Jan. 21) and Little Rock (Feb. 11). 

Hailing from Charleston, Ill., Littleford added another postseason honor to her career with an All-OVC second team selection following All-Newcomer honors in 2021-22. Littleford becomes the 15th individual in program history to earn an All-OVC second team honor after averaging 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game for the Skyhawks.  

A 5-7 guard, Littleford plays well above her size while ranking as one of the league's most consistent performers with 16 games in double figures – including a stretch of nine-straight games early in league play. After reaching the 20-point plateau just one time as a freshman, she has eclipsed that mark five times this season – including a career-high 29 points at Lindenwood (Feb. 4). Arguably the most remarkable stretch of her career came in early February when she scored 20 points or more in three consecutive games against SIUE (Feb. 2), Lindenwood (Feb. 4) and Evansville (Feb. 6). Ranking fifth in the OVC in assists per game, she has dished out five or more assists in seven contests while setting career highs with eight assists against both Vanderbilt (Dec. 4) and Eastern Illinois (Jan. 21). 

2023 OVC Player of the Year: Sali Kourouma, Little Rock 
2023 OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Veronica Charles, Morehead State 
2023 OVC Freshman of the Year: Sharnecca Currie-Jelks, UT Martin 
2023 OVC Coach of the Year: Joe Foley, Little Rock 

First Team 
Sali Kourouma, Little Rock 
Ajulu Thatha, SIUE 
Lariah Washington, Eastern Illinois 
Maaliya Owens, Tennessee Tech 
Macy McGlone, Eastern Illinois 
Erica Haynes-Overton, Tennessee State 
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, UT Martin 
Hannah Haithcock, Southern Indiana 
Jaliyah Green, Southeast Missouri 
Veronica Charles, Morehead State 

Second Team 
Shae Littleford, UT Martin 
Jada Guinn, Tennessee Tech 
Tia Harvey, Little Rock 
Sandra Lin, Morehead State 
Gia Adams, Tennessee State 

All-Newcomer Team 
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, UT Martin 
Macy McGlone, Eastern Illinois 
Erica Haynes-Overton, Tennessee State 
Veronica Charles, Morehead State 
Jaiyah Harris-Smith, Little Rock 

 

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