NZhoops Release

On the final day of a superb year for Erin Rooney, the redshirt senior guard has taken home one final honor.  Rooney has been named the NZhoops.com New Zealand Female Player of the Year by a panel of basketball experts and journalists from around the country.

This honor is just the latest in a string of accolades for the Kiwi, as Rooney became the first player in Fordham history to earn First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors and the first since 1997 to make All-Met First Team last spring.  This season, Rooney has drastically improved upon her already stellar numbers, averaging 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per outing.

The Christchurch, New Zealand, native ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring and has led Fordham to its best ever non-conference slate in 2013-2014.  The winners of a program-record-tying ten in a row, the Rams will enter the Atlantic 10 season on Thursday night with an 11-2 mark in non-league play, their highest win total since joining a conference for the 1981-1982 season.  11-2 also ties the school record for the best start to a season through 13 games.

Rooney is accompanied by some notable names on this list of NZhoops.com honorees.  Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the University of Pittsburgh earned New Zealand Male Player of the Year honors, while Hawaii's Issac Fotu took home College Player of the Year accolades.

Rooney and the Rams will kick off 2014 on Thursday night, January 2nd, when they host the Saint Louis Billikens at 7 PM in the Rose Hill Gym.  That game will also be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.