Amelia Hassett named FCSAA Women's Basketball Player of the Year
Amelia Hassett has had the kind of season that most basketball players only dream about.
And for the Eastern Florida State College sophomore, it has been a dream season as she has set the program record for double-doubles in a season with 22. The forward is closing in on 1,000 career points and has scored more points this season than any player in program history. The 6-foot-3 power forward is five rebounds away from the career rebounding title with 621 and her 369 ties for the most rebounds in a regular season.
And on Wednesday the Albury New South Wales, Australia native became the first FCSAA Women's Basketball Player of the Year in program history.
"Obviously it is a great achievement, I was not expecting any of this and was surprised to hear that I was named the player of the year," Hassett said. "It is an honor and I give props to my teammates for pushing me every day and my coaches for always being there, everyone just being there to support me."
Hassett's rise began in her freshman season as she started 33 games for a Titans team that made history, winning the FCSAA Women's Basketball Championship and advancing to the Final Four in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas.
"The last game, I thought OK I can play. I am here for a reason, and it made me think that it could be my time," said Hassett who scored 15 points in last year's national semifinal game and averaged 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 35 games her freshman season. "I worked hard over the summer and then coming in as a starter last year and knowing my team is going to look to me to be a leader."
Hassett also participated in the NJCAA Women's All-Star Showcase at Clayton State in Georgia over the summer, playing with and against some of the best freshmen in NJCAA Division I basketball. She had a couple of double-doubles in the Showcase.
"It was very big, going up against good players and playing against that kind of competition and knowing that I developed and that just topped it off and made me feel like this is going to be a good season. It made me feel like I can do this," Hassett said.
She started the season with a couple of double-doubles including a 35-point performance that was the second-most points scored in program history.
"Last year we were very good, we had a great group of girls," Hassett said. It was hard coming back and having just four returners. We had to regroup but this team is a very good team, we just clicked. Having the experience of our returners and being able to give the freshmen confidence early was big."
The team went on to post its third straight unbeaten conference season and is currently on a 25-game win streak. Hassett wrapped up her second conference title and has never lost a conference game while at EFSC.
Hassett finished the regular season averaging 19.9 points per game and leads Region 8 in rebounds per game, averaging 12.7. She is also leading Region VIII in 3-point percentage, making 42.6 percent of her 3-point shots this season and is third in field goal percentage, hitting 56.3 of her shots.
She will lead the Titans into the FCSAA Women's Basketball Championship on Thursday as they will face Hillsborough Community College at 4 p.m. EDT in a quarterfinal game at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville. Fans can purchase tickets at the door or online and can watch the game live online at https://team1sports.comfcsaa
WATCH: Amelia Hassett talks about her season, the honor and more.