UTEP Women’s Basketball: Keitha Adams named Conference USA Coach of the Year

UTEP Women's Basketball head coach Keitha Adams lead UTEP to their third regular season C-USA championship in school history, and today picked up her third C-USA Coach of the Year award.

The announcement was a part of the conference's specialty awards which featured Starr Breedlove being named Newcomer of the Year, and Sparkle Taylor winning the Sixth Player of the Year award.

Breedlove, a Louisville transfer made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor for the first-place Miners. A certified floor thief, the senior averaged 3.2 steals per game, a mark that is good for seventh in the country.

Breedlove posted 20 double-digit scoring performances, which tied for the team lead. She was also the third Miner in program history with at least 90 assists and 90 steals in the same season.

Taylor averaged 10.7 points per game, and shot 48 percent from the field in 25 games this season, and provides instant offense off UTEP's bench.

Adams continues to mold UTEP into a legit mid-major power in the Women's game, this is UTEP's sixth 20-win season, and for the sixth time in her career UTEP has finished in the top-100 in RPI rankings,

"It is nice to be recognized, especially by your peers, but this award (coach of the year) is a reflection of the hard work put in by my staff and our players throughout the season," Adams said. "I'm pleased for Starr and Sparkle to have received the Newcomer of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year. I am very proud of those ladies."

UTEP will face either Southern Miss. or UAB in the C-USA Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday at 10 a.m. Mountain Time.

2015-16 C-USA Women's Basketball Specialty Awards
Player of the Year: Kendall Noble, WKU
Freshman of the Year: Alex Johnson, Middle Tennessee
Defensive Player of the Year: Kendall Noble, WKU
Newcomer of the Year: Starr Breedlove, UTEP
Sixth Player of the Year: Sparkle Taylor, UTEP
Coach of the Year: Keitha Adams, UTEP