Saint Augustine’s Headlines All Rookie Basketball Teams
Joel Kindred, Umeka Benson Named CIAA Rookies of the Year

February 22, 2011

HAMPTON, VA – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is proud is release the 2010-2011 Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-Rookie Teams as decided by the CIAA- Sports Information Directors Association. This year’s teams are headlined by Saint Augustine’s College’s Umeka Benson and Joel Kindred.
 
Umeka Benson (Charlotte, NC) was voted as this year’s CIAA Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year after averaging 10.1 points per game and pulling down 8.4 rebounds per game. Benson is the top rookie scorer among all scorers in the CIAA. She ranks second in the league in rebounds among first year players. Benson is a three-time CIAA Rookie of the Week.
 

Benson

Kindred

Saint Paul’s College’s Alisha Hardley (Stafford, VA) also joins Benson on the All-Rookie Team. Hardley is averaging 7.1 points an outing and 9.0 rebounds per game. Hardley is a three time CIAA Rookie of the Week performer. She is also dishing out over four assists per game and had a season-high 16 points and 17 rebounds against Lincoln University.
 
Johnson C. Smith’s Racquel Davis (Bamberg, Germany) averaged just over six points a game and hauled in 4.8 rebounds an outing. Davis had a season-high 15 points against Livingstone College and a season-high 11 boards against Saint Paul’s College.
 
Cynthia Johnson (Randallstown, MD) from Lincoln University earned a spot on this year’s All-Rookie Team after putting up 7.2 points a game and grabbing 3.5 rebounds a game. She was named a CIAA Rookie of the Week three times and scored in double figures six times this season. She also is averaging 2.41 season assists and 1.82 steals per game.
 
Virginia Union’s Leslie Slayton rounds out the All-Rookie Team. Slayton, a native of Clinton, Maryland, is averaging nearly seven points a game and getting 2.0 steals per game and 2.0 assists per game.
 
On the men’s side Joel Kindred (Raleigh, NC) of Saint Augustine’s was a unanimous vote for the CIAA Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year after scoring 13.2 points per game and notching double figure outings in fifteen of the Falcons games. He scored 20 or more points five times this season leads all rookies in the league in scoring. This season Kindred has hit shots at a 44% clip and is a six-time CIAA Rookie of the Week.
 
Fayetteville State University’s Tyrell Tate (Raleigh, NC) was named to the CIAA All-Rookie Team after averaging 9.9 points a game and 4.4 rebounds per game. Tate hit shots from the floor at a rate of 55%  and had a season high of 21 points against Virginia State University. He was also named a CIAA Rookie of the Week one time this season.
 
James Theus (Portsmouth, VA) earned a spot on the team after getting 3.4 points a game. The Virginia Union University guard hit three point shots at a 35% clip and had a season high 16 points against Saint Augustine’s this season.
 
Bowie State University’s Rasheem King (Brooklyn, NY) played in 24 games for the Bulldogs where he averaged 3.1 points a game and grabbed 86 season rebounds. He hit shots at a 41% clip this season and is a one-time CIAA Rookie of the Week.
 
Saint Augustine’s Chris Johnson (Hampton, VA) rounds out the All-Rookie Team. Johnson scored 5.1 points a game for the Falcons and hauled in 70 season rebounds. He notched a season-high 14 points against Shaw in January.

Women:
Ukema Benson St. Augustine's College - CIAA Women's Rookie of the Year

Men:
Joel Kindred St. Augustine's College - CIAA Men's Rookie of the Year

The Rookie Teams will be recognized at the Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tip Off Ceremonies on Sunday, February 27th and Tuesday, March 1st, respectively.