ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University sophomore point guard Jackie Kemph was named Associated Press All-America honorable mention Monday, making her the first player in Billiken women's basketball history to earn All-America plaudits.
The All-America recognition is the latest in an impressive array of honors for Kemph, who led Saint Louis to an Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season co-championship, the WNIT round of 16, and school records for total victories (26), overall winning percentage (26-8, .765), conference wins (13), conference winning percentage (13-3, .813), home victories (14) and road victories (10).
Kemph was selected A-10 co-Player of the Year – the first SLU women's basketball player to earn a conference top-player award – and became the first Billiken to garner first-team All-Conference accolades since Theresa Lisch in 2009. She also was named to the national All-High Major first team by the website College Sports Madness (CSM).
Kemph was chosen A-10 Player of the Week three times by CSM and twice by the league office. In addition, she was tabbed CSM High Major National Player of the Week and National Jesuit Player of the Week for games played the week of Feb. 15.
“Jackie is one of the finest point guards in the nation and led our team to a record-breaking season, so this honor comes as no surprise,” head coach Lisa Stone said. “She is very deserving of this prestigious award.”
Kemph led the Billikens in scoring (16.6 ppg, third in the A-10), assists (7.0 apg, first in the A-10, third in the nation), assist-turnover ratio (2.28-to-1, second in the A-10, 27th in the nation), free throws made (159, first in the A-10, 25th in the nation), free throw attempts (191, first in the A-10, 37th in the nation) and minutes (35.4 mpg, fourth in the A-10). She also ranked among the conference leaders in free throw percentage (.832, third) and field goal percentage (14th, .436).
Kemph registered a SLU season-record 239 assists to bring her career total to 413, only 107 shy of the Billikens' all-time mark. Her 564 points and 159 free throws made are Saint Louis season records for sophomores, and both totals rank second on SLU's overall single-season charts.
Kemph scored in double figures in all but three games and tallied 20 or more points nine times, including a career-high and SLU season-high 28 points at St. Bonaventure. She was the Billikens' top scorer in 21 games, and she led the team in both scoring and assists in 18 contests. Kemph posted six double-digit assist totals, five of which were part of points-assists double-doubles.
