By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
Napa Valley College's Addison Alsbury, Amaree Bennett and Rose Jamison were named to the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association 2022-23 All-Academic Team.
A record-187 players earned All-Academic Team honors, the California Community College Athletic Association announced in a report, at www.cccaasports.org, on Nov. 10.
It's the "largest group in the history of the award," the California Community College Athletic Association reported.
"The listing of 187 student-athletes from 54 colleges populate the success in the classroom by players from the '22-23 season who achieved a 3.5 grade point average or higher," the CCCAA said.
Alsbury and Bennett were sophomores on last year's team, which had an historic season, winning the first playoff game in school history. The Storm beat College of the Siskiyous, 92-80, in a Round 1 game in the CCCAA-Northern California Regionals in Weed.
Jamison was a freshman on last year's team, which after taking third place in the Bay Valley Conference, advanced to the playoffs as the No. 18 seed.
The Storm (19-11 overall, 9-5 Bay Valley Conference) turned in one of the greatest seasons in the history of Napa Valley College women's basketball, reaching the Sweet 16 of the Northern California Regionals.
Their 19 wins tied the program record for victories in a single season.
Alsbury, Bennett and Jamison were recognized for their work academically.
They achieved the following GPAs:
* Jamison: 3.89
* Bennett: 3.84.
* Alsbury: 3.59.
Bennett was also named first-team Academic All-State by the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association. It's the first time in program history that NVC has had a player selected Academic All-State.
Bennett and Alsbury are continuing in basketball, as they have transferred after signing national letters of intent.
Bennett, a guard, signed with UC Merced, an NAIA school that plays in the California Pacific Conference. She averaged 9.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last year.
Bennett led NVC in scoring as a freshman, averaging 15.4 points, to go along with 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. She was named All-Bay Valley Conference.
Bennett owns the NVC school record for made 3-pointers in a career. She had 134 3-pointers during her outstanding two-year career for the Storm.
Alsbury, a guard/forward who averaged 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last year, signed with the University of Saint Katherine of San Marcos, Calif. It's also in the California Pacific Conference.
Jamison, a guard, was a unanimous first-team All-Bay Valley Conference selection last year. Jamison averaged 15.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Bennett and Alsbury were named to the Academic All-Bay Valley Conference women's basketball team last year.
The three were also among those receiving team awards last year.
Alsbury and Jamison were honored as captains.
Alsbury was named as Defensive Player of the Year.
Jamison had surgery on her left knee on Aug. 16 and has not played in a game for the Storm this year. But she has been cleared to run and is doing better, said coach Paul DeBolt.
Alsbury is averaging 6.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game for the University of Saint Katherine. Alsbury has started each of the team's six games and is also averaging 29.8 minutes per game.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.