Women's Basketball

Lee Wins Baisi Award for the Second Time
April 16, 2006

(PRINCETON, W.VA)-West Liberty State's Derrick Stickles and Shane Maynard, along with the University of Charleston's Lisa Lee, are the 2005-06 winners of the Neal Baisi Awards presented by Beckley Newspapers. The fifth annual awards recognize the most outstanding state natives within West Virginia Conference football, women's basketball, and men's basketball.

The award is named for long-time West Virginia Tech athletic director and men's basketball coach Neal Baisi. He recorded a 263-82 record in a dozen seasons as the head of the Golden Bear basketball program. Baisi's team revolutionized college basketball with their high scoring ways. His 1954-55 Tech squad was the first collegiate team to average 100 points per game as the Golden Bears rang up 107.5 points per night. His teams won 20 or more games on ten occasions and never failed to win 18 or more contests during his final eleven seasons.

Baisi, who passed away in 2005, was also part of WVIAC football championship squads at Potomac State and Tech. The Elkins native was a first team football all-conference pick at guard in 1949.

As a coach, his squads were comprised chiefly of Mountain State talent. All but six players during his tenure were natives of the Mountain State. 1968 Olympian and Richwood native Mike Barrett was among those in-state standouts.

Stickles earns the 2005-06 award for football after leading the WVIAC with 1458 rushing yards last season. The two-time first team All-WVIAC pick also paced the conference in all-purpose yards (2230) and kickoff return average (28.6).

The New Cumberland native also received national attention from Life magazine for his exploits as a cheerleader at WLSC. The former Oak Glen HS star ends his Hilltopper career as the leading career rusher (3690 yards). He owns the two highest single season rushing totals at the school and stands fifth on the career WVIAC rushing list. Stickles' 258 career points is the 12th highest total in conference annals.

Lee is recognized as the women's basketball recipient for a second straight season. The Charleston native was named to all three major NCAA Division II All-American squads as a first-team member. The WVIAC Player of the Year averaged 18.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in leading the Golden Eagles to a 31-3 record and a second straight East Region title. UC also claimed the school's first WVIAC Tournament championship since 1998 as the former Capital HS standout received MVP honors.

The senior forward is the WVIAC's all-time leading career scorer in women's basketball with 2,260 points. Lee also grabbed 1,002 rebounds as a Golden Eagle. The two-time MVP of the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament also was named to the All-WVIAC first team on three occasions.

Maynard claims the men's basketball honor. The Beckley sophomore was the lone in-state native named to the All-WVIAC first team. The sophomore forward helped the Hilltoppers compile a 21-8 record and lead Division II with 98.0 points per game.

He averaged 21.6 points per contest in 2005-06 to rank fourth in the WVIAC and 17th nationally. Maynard has tallied 1,214 points in only 60 career games at WLSC. The ex-Woodrow Wilson HS player also excelled defensively with 2.5 steals per game to stand third in the conference and 22nd in Division II.

The winners will be recognized at the West Virginia Sportswriters Association's Victory Awards Dinner. This year's event takes place in Morgantown at Lakeview Resort on May 7. The 60th annual event serves as a showcase for West Virginia's top athletic achievers and personalities. It is the oldest statewide sports awards dinner in the United States.

Neal Baisi Award Recipients

Football:
2001: Bryan Harman (Fairmont State)
2002: Eric Smith (WVU Tech)
2003: Luke Struble (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2004: Jared Surbaugh (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2005: Derrick Stickles (West Liberty State)

Men's Basketball:
2001-02: Kevyn McBride (Alderson-Broaddus)
2002-03: Derek Jones (Charleston)
2003-04: Josh Allen (Alderson-Broaddus)
2004-05: Stephen Dye (Alderson-Broaddus)
2005-06: Shane Maynard (West Liberty State)

Women's Basketball:
2001-02: Tracy Wyatt (Glenville State)
2002-03: Tracy Wyatt (Glenville State)
2003-04: Ashlea Bland (West Liberty State)
2004-05: Lisa Lee (Charleston)
2005-06: Lisa Lee (Charleston)

Women's Basketball

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