Magarity, Minato Honored With All-Met Awards

WEST POINT – Army West Point head women’s basketball coach Dave Magarity and senior Kelsey Minato each collected Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association awards on Monday, with Magarity earning Maggie Dixon Coach of the Year praise and Minato drawing the association’s Player of the Year.

 Magarity will accept his second MBWA Coach of the Year honor after previously winning the award after the 2006-07 season. Recently completing his 10th season as head coach at Army, Magarity guided the Black Knights to a program-record 29 victories as part of a 29-3 record.

 Army also set a team record with 19 straight victories and reached a national postseason tournament for the fourth straight season after earning its second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last three years.
 The All-Met Player of the Year mention is the first of Minato’s career. She was also selected to the All-Met first team for the third consecutive season. Minato becomes the first Army player to be named to an All-Met team all four years, after also drawing second-team praise as a freshman.

 A recent Associated Press All-America honorable mention and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention choice, Minato won her third Patriot League Player of the Year title in early March before leading the Black Knights to a win over Loyola in the Patriot League Championship and the ensuing NCAA berth.

 Minato will graduate as Army’s leader in the majority of offensive statistical categories to include total points (2,556), scoring average (20.1), three-pointers (329), free-throws (569) and field goals (829).
 Magarity and Minato accepted their awards at the 83rd annual NIT/All-Met Awards Dinner on April 12 in Tarrytown, N.Y.