Azeez Ellegood and Arielle Alford Earn GBC January Athletes of the Month Honors
PIKE CREEK, Del. – Seniors Azeez Ellegood of the men’s basketball team and Arielle Alford of the women’s basketball team have been named Goldey-Beacom College male and female athletes of the month for the month of January. Both of these athletes put up impressive numbers and performances this past month.
Ellegood, a 5-foot-8 senior floor general and a four-year starter at GBC, became the school’s career assists leader with 294 when he tied his own school record of nine assists in a game on Jan. 6 during a Lightning win over USciences. The team’s quiet leader shot 43-percent from the field (39-percent from three-point range) and 82-percent at the free-throw line, averaged 12.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per-game in a 6-1 month for GBC.
Not always the star of the game, Ellegood always found a way to help his team win during this terrific month for the Lightning. First was the USciences game, GBC’s first action of the 2011 calendar year, where he dished nine assists to go with 14 points (knocking down 4-of-6 from long-range), three rebounds and a steal. Then at Concordia on Jan. 8, he made 11-of-12 shots at the foul line and finished with 15 points, four assists and three rebounds.
At GBC’s crosstown rival Wilmington, he scored nine points, handed out six assists and grabbed four boards to help the Lightning complete the season sweep of the Wildcats. Then three days later, Ellegood gave a terrific all-around performance against Caldwell. He made 4-of-7 from the field and 7-of-8 from the stripe to finish with 17 points, dished out four assists, had four thefts and three rebounds.
A local product out of Sanford High School, Ellegood also ended the month with a flourish as he led the Lightning to a thrilling, 102-96 overtime victory at Bloomfield in the battle of the conference’s two divisional No. 1’s. He played all 45 minutes and registered 15 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and five steals as the Lightning ended the Deacons’ 31-game home winning streak at “The Den” on Jan. 29.
Alford, a 5-11 forward, was a monster in the paint for the Lightning women’s basketball team this month. In a 4-3 month for GBC, she shot 43-percent from the field and averaged 5.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.6 blocks per-game.
The team’s reigning defensive most valuable player of the year showed why she is among the most feared defenders in the league in a game at crosstown rival Wilmington on Jan. 19. There, Alford had a season-high nine blocked shots to go with 14 rebounds, three assists, nine points and one steal as the Lightning swept the Wildcats for a second consecutive year.
Usually assigned by head coach Jen Carleton to cover the opposing team’s best interior player, Alford may not always light up a stat page but certainly makes an impact with her aggressive defense and hustle on the floor.
Previous Winners:
December 2010: Terrence Parkes, Ashley Rosario
November 2010: Sam McDuffie, Irene Hudson
October 2010: Stewart Reich, Kelly Williams
September 2010: Ricky Jackson, Laura Cure
April 2010: Michael Coppa, Cailin Cavanaugh
March 2010: Devon Ripley, Lauren Witzke
February 2010: Sam McDuffie, Devonne Richardson
January 2010: Terrence Parkes, Janae Weldon
December 2009: Kyle White, Jacinda Jones
November 2009: Ben Kinley, Elizabeth Williams
October 2009: Chris Steele, Vanessa leon Velasquez
September 2009: Angel Rodriguez, Luciana Pereira
