Glance and Russell earn Valley awards

[March 09, 2012]  ST. LOUIS -- The Illinois State women's basketball team finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference, after being selected to finish sixth in the preseason poll. After the Redbirds' unexpected performance, the Valley named junior transfer Jamie Russell Newcomer of the Year and head coach Stephanie Glance Coach of the Year for the 2011-12 season, as announced by the league office Thursday.

Glance is the third Redbird coach to earn the prestigious Valley Coach of the Year honor. The last time an ISU coach received the award was eight years ago, when Robin Pingeton won the honor for the 2003-04 season. Glance led ISU to a second-place finish in conference play and led the Redbirds to their sixth straight season of finishing in the top two of the Valley regular-season standings. Under her leadership, the Redbirds have four players who finished the regular season averaging double-digit scoring efforts.

"It is very humbling to receive the Coach of the Year award," Glance said. "The coaches in the Missouri Valley Conference are such quality coaches and people. I am grateful to be recognized among them, but ultimately this honor goes to my staff and team. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful staff and such a special group of players to coach. Thank you most of all to them for their commitment to excellence and their willingness to give their very best."

Illinois State held an 8-1 record in home conference games, with its first home loss of the conference season coming from No. 1-seeded Missouri State in an overtime loss in the final home game of the conference schedule. Through two seasons at the helm of the Redbirds, Glance has led ISU to a record of 42-22.

Glance believes Russell is deserving of the honor for her hard work and success on the court.

"In my mind, Jamie is clearly the Newcomer of the Year," Glance said. "She ranks high in every statistical category in the conference. She is one of the leading scorers, rebounders and is at the top of the conference in steals and assists. That is a tremendous compliment to her. She is an all-around player who works hard every single day in practice and in every game for 40 minutes. Clearly she is the best newcomer in the league."

Russell, who transferred to Illinois State from Wisconsin, is the first Redbird player to earn the Valley Newcomer of the Year honors, as the junior transfer played a crucial role for ISU on both sides of the ball. Russell ranked second on the team with 13.5 points per game. She had 17 double-digit scoring efforts in ISU's last 19 games, including 10-straight double-digit performances, earning all-Valley first-team honors.

The Rock Falls, Ill., native also dished out 100 assists during the regular season, leading the team. At the end of the regular season, Russell recorded 74 steals, which leads the team and ranks No. 2 in the Valley. Russell finished the season ranked in the top 10 in five statistical categories in the Valley. She also scored 30 points against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 21, in only her third game as a Redbird.

The Redbirds enter the 2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Charles, Mo., as the No. 2 seed. ISU will play Friday at Family Arena at 6:05 p.m., against either Drake or Evansville.

[Text from file received from Illinois State]