With so much hype going into the 2013-2014 basketball season for the Men and Women’s teams the reality is that the usual suspects performed up to expectations and some even went above and beyond. Such is the case for record-breaking senior Ashlee Guay and sophomore Aaron Parks, who more than earned player of the year for their respective teams.
Guay was a model of consistency and clutch play for the women’s team as she helped lead them to a no. 2 seed in the Big West Conference and 21-9 record, which ties the record for the best record in the program’s history as a D-1 member.
Not only is Guay the all-time leader in assists and steals but she became the all-time leading scorer in women’s program history with clutch play in the latter part of the season against California State University, Fullerton and a career high 33 points against University of California, Riverside.
She has been the unquestioned leader for a team that is poised to repeat as Big West Conference Champions in edition to making a deeper run in the NCAA tournament. Guay is the crown jewel of arguably the greatest senior class in CSUN athletics history so acknowledging her as player of the year is simply a no-brainer.
Despite their 9-23 record and lack of depth due to an investigation of several recruits of the Matadors highly touted recruiting class they fought their way into the no. 8 seed in the Big West Conference tournament due in part to senior leadership and consistency Stephan Hicks, Stephen Maxwell, Devonte Elliott, and steady play from junior guard Landon Drew; however, these players were expected to come in and be pillars of strength for the program.
Sophomore guard Aaron Parks has been a salvation for a team depleted of crucial playmakers. Most notably Parks’ played the best game of his young and promising career on senior night vs.University of California, Riverside when he scored 29 points to further solidify CSUN’s place in the tournament.
Parks has played with great poise like a seasoned veteran and helping to salvage what almost felt like a lost season. Parks has been the answer the Matadors needed this season and going into tournament play as well as a future leader to build around going into next season.
