After leading the Blinn College women’s basketball team on offense and defense, sophomore guard Kristine Ezimako (Spring) was named the 2020 Don Wilhelm Award winner as the Buccaneers’ most valuable player.
“Kristine was not only special for us this past season when she helped us win 25 games and finish second in conference, but also as a freshman,” said Jeff Jenkins, Blinn head coach. “She gave us scoring, rebounding, and good defense, but even more important than those things, she gave us her strong desire to compete and win.”
Ezimako played an instrumental role in leading the No. 24 Buccaneers to the regional tournament semifinals. The Buccaneers entered the Region XIV Tournament as the No. 2 seed behind No. 1 Trinity Valley Community College.
“It is a big honor to earn this award for being the most valuable player on a winning team with so many great players,” Ezimako said. “The support system that my coaches and teammates gave me really contributed to my success this season. I don’t think I will ever have teammates as great as those teammates because we all got along so well and really pushed each other.”
Ezimako was named all-region and all-conference after leading Blinn with 15.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. She led the Buccaneers with 69 blocks and 59 steals and led the region with a 42.5 three-point percentage.
Ezimako also earned Region XIV all-tournament honors after leading Blinn with 30 points and 22 rebounds in two postseason games. Throughout Ezimako's two seasons with Blinn, she totaled 807 points and 460 rebounds.
Blinn finished the season with a 25-7 overall record and 13-5 conference record. Ezimako is continuing her academic and athletic career at Sam Houston State University.
The Wilhelm Award is named after former Blinn College athletic director Don Wilhelm, an NJCAA Hall of Famer who served the college for 10 years.
