Cameron earns All-American honors
After leading the John Brown University women’s basketball team to a 23-9 record, sophomore forward Baily Cameron has been named to the NAIA All-America third team, the national office announced Thursday afternoon.
Cameron, a native of Siloam Springs, led the Golden Eagles with 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, boasting a 52.9 percent shooting efficiency from the field, which also paced the squad. After earning All-America honorable mention honors last season, the 5-foot-10 forward upped her scoring average by 4.5 points per game and maintained her rebounding and shooting numbers, leading to a secondconsecutive All-Sooner Athletic first team nomination.
“I’m so very proud of Baily,” head coach Jeff Soderquist said. “She had a tremendous year for us; it’s been fun to watch her play. This is a well-deserved honor and great for our team and athletic program.”
The 2015-16 SAC Freshman of the Year started all 32 games this season and posted five double-doubles, including 12 games with at least 20 points and even recorded a pair of 30-point outings. Last week in the NAIA National Tournament, Cameron unleashed 27- and 21-point performances against Benedictine (Kan.) and William Woods (Mo.), respectively, and was second among tournament scorers after the Round of 16 completed.
While leading the program to the second-most regular-season victories in history, Cameron was also named SAC Player of the Week three times this season, all coming within the final four weeks of regular season play. Her most impressive outing came at Philander Smith (Ark.) when Cameron shot 12-of-16 from the floor and secured her second double-double of the year 33 points and 14 rebounds, both registering as season highs on Nov. 15.
Cameron is just the third player in program history to finish on one of the top three All-America lists, joining Kendra McCormick (2005-06) and Sierra Shipley (2013-14). McCormick is the only two-time All-America honoree, landing a second and third team spot in 2004 and 2006, while Shipley landed a third-team spot after the Golden Eagles’ magical run to the Fab Four in the 201314 season.