Kitley wins ACC Player of the Year in ACC Awards

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Virginia Tech graduate center Elizabeth Kitley has been chosen as the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year for the third straight season, while Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo has been named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, headlining the 2023-24 All-ACC Women’s Basketball Team and individual award winners.

 

The 2023-24 All-ACC Team was determined by the league’s head coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel.

 

Syracuse’s Felisha Legette-Jack has been awarded the ACC Coach of the Year, while Duke freshman Oluchi Okananwa earned the ACC Sixth Player of the Year award. Pitt’s Liatu King was named the Most Improved Player.

 

Kitley becomes just the third player in league history to earn ACC Player of the Year honors in three straight seasons, joining Duke’s Alana Beard (2002-04) and Maryland’s Alyssa Thomas (2012-14). The Summerfield, North Carolina, native ranks second in the ACC in scoring (22.8) and is the only player in the conference to average more than 11.0 rebounds per game (11.4). Tying the league record for the most ACC Player of the Week honors with six on the year, Kitley averaged a conference-best 24.0 points and 11.2 rebounds in ACC games. After becoming the ACC’s all-time leading rebounder on December 21, Kitley currently sits in second place on the ACC’s all-time scoring list with 2,709 points.

 

Hidalgo is only the second player in league history to earn Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, joining former Duke standout Elizbeth Williams in 2012. The Haddonfield, New Jersey, native wrapped her first collegiate season leading the ACC in scoring at 23.8 points per game and leading the nation in steals (141) and steals per game (4.9). Hidalgo scored in double figures in all 28 appearances this season, headlined by a conference-best 24 20-point efforts, the most by an ACC player since ND’s Arike Ogunbowale tallied 27 in 2018-19.

 

Legette-Jack becomes the first-ever Syracuse coach to earn ACC Coach of the Year honors after she led the Orange to a 13-5 conference record and the No. 3 seed in the 2024 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. After being projected to finish ninth in the annual Blue Ribbon Panel Projected Order of Finish, Syracuse finished in a tie for second place in the final regular-season standings. Legette-Jack, who was named the ESPN.com Coach of the Week on February 12, led the Orange to 23 victories, headlined by four wins over ranked opponents.

 

Okananwa came off the bench in all 29 games this season and averaged 9.6 points with a team-best 6.1 rebounds for Duke. The Boston, Massachusetts, native shined underneath the basket, averaging 3.9 defensive rebounds and 2.2 offensive rebounds per contest. On January 25, Okananwa tallied a season-high 13 rebounds in a key conference win over Florida State. The freshman is the first-ever player from Duke to earn the ACC Sixth Player of the Year honor.

 

King closed the regular season with the second-most double-doubles in the ACC, as she totaled 18 on the season. After the Washington, D.C., native averaged 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 2022-23, King averaged 18.8 points and 10.4 rebounds this season, becoming one of just two players in the conference to average a double-double. King totaled 11 games with 20 points or more on the year, headlined by a season-high 34 points against nationally-ranked Notre Dame on January 4. Becoming the first-ever player from Pitt to earn the Most Improved Award, King also landed a spot on the All-ACC First Team.

 

The 2023-24 season continues Wednesday with first-round action from the 2024 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. All the action from the Greensboro Coliseum can be found on ACC Network, excluding Sunday’s title game, which will be broadcast on ESPN at 1 p.m.

 

2023-24 All-ACC Women’s Basketball Team

Player of the Year: Elizabeth Kitley, Gr., C, Virginia Tech

Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Fr., G, Notre Dame

Rookie of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, G, Notre Dame

Coach of the Year: Felisha Legette-Jack, Syracuse

Sixth Player of the Year: Oluchi Okananwa, Fr., G, Duke

Most Improved Player: Liatu King, Sr., F, Pitt

 

All-ACC First Team

Elizabeth Kitley, Gr., C, Virginia Tech – 1,603

Dyaisha Fair, Gr., G, Syracuse – 1,463

Hannah Hidalgo, Fr., G, Notre Dame – 1,461

Georgia Amoore, Sr., G, Virginia Tech – 1,402

Ta’Niya Latson, So., G, Florida State – 1,274

Deja Kelly, Sr., G, North Carolina – 921

Aziaha James, Jr., G, NC State – 871

Saniya Rivers, Jr., G, NC State – 815

Makayla Timpson, Jr., F, Florida State – 766

Liatu King, Sr., F, Pitt – 765

 

All-ACC Second Team

Maddy Westbeld, Jr., F, Notre Dame – 715

Amari Robinson, Gr., F, Clemson – 698

Sonia Citron, Jr., G, Notre Dame – 651

Alyssa Ustby, Sr., G/F, North Carolina – 573

Kiki Jefferson, Gr., G, Louisville – 504

Kymora Johnson, Fr., G, Virginia – 437

Tonie Morgan, So., G, Georgia Tech – 358

Kara Dunn, So., G, Georgia Tech – 349

Reigan Richardson, Jr., G, Duke – 252

Olivia Cochran, Sr., F, Louisville – 224

 

All-Defensive Team

Hannah Hidalgo, Fr., G, Notre Dame – 326

Makayla Timpson, Jr., F, Florida State – 231

Elizabeth Kitley, Gr., C, Virginia Tech – 170

Saniya Rivers, Jr., G, NC State – 135

Dontavia Waggoner, Sr., G, Boston College – 102

 

All-Freshman Team

Hannah Hidalgo, G, Notre Dame – 412

Kymora Johnson, G, Virginia – 304

Zoe Brooks, G, NC State – 162

Oluchi Okananwa, G, Duke – 125

Alyssa Latham, F, Syracuse – 120

 

ACC Most Improved

Liatu King, Pitt – 237

Aziaha James, NC State – 226

Kara Dunn, Georgia Tech – 121

 

ACC Sixth Player

Oluchi Okananwa, Duke – 298

Zoe Brooks, NC State – 277

Indya Nivar, North Carolina – 98

 

ACC Coach of the Year

Felisha Legette-Jack, Syracuse – 293

Kenny Brooks, Virginia Tech – 214

Wes Moore, NC State – 164

(Courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference)