Basketball sharp-shooters Kasey Smit of Irvine Valley and Tucker Eenigenburg of Bakersfield turned in outstanding performances during the first month of 2018 and were rewarded for their efforts by being named the California Community College Sports Information Association Men's and Women's Athletes of the Month.
The monthly award which spans the CCC sports season from September through May has been in existence since 2005 when the CCCSIA began the task of choosing a male and female athlete of the month.
Smit, a sophomore forward, had a monster month of January in the Orange Empire Conference for the Lasers. She averaged 24.1 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.9 blocks a game for IVC during the month.
The Lasers went 9-0 in January.
Her nine games during the month included a 30-point, 20-rebound performance in a 77-53 IVC win over Riverside at home on Jan. 24.
It was the second time in three games that she scored at least 30 points.
Smit finished with a career-high at the time 34 points to go along with 15 rebounds and three assists in Irvine Valley's 74-68 victory at Cypress on Jan. 17.
And she had 27 points and 23 rebounds in IVC's 83-50 win at Saddleback on Jan. 26.
For the month of January, Bakersfield's Eenigenburg averaged 23.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and two assists per game over the course of nine games.
He shot 52.4 percent from the floor, 53.4 percent from three-point range and 91 percent from the free-throw line.
Eenigenburg had a career high 51 points, in an 87-81 win, against College of the Canyons on Jan. 27.
In that game, he was 13 of 21 (61.9 percent) from the floor, 8 of 12 (66.7 percent) from three-point range and 17 of 17 (100 percent) from the free-throw line.
Honorable mention honors on the women's side went to Diablo Valley women's basketball player Doris Jones, Pasadena City women's basketball player Alisa Shinn and Mt. San Jacinto women's basketball player Britney Thomas.
For the men, Oxnard men's basketball player Jakari McClain, Santiago Canyon men's basketball player Rodney Henderson and Yuba men's basketball player Elishja Duplechan earned honorable mention honors.
