BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College is continuing its look back at the 2016-17 year with the second of two Top 10 lists, the Top 10 Stories of the Year. No. 4 on the list is senior forward Camille McPherson being named a finalist for the 2017 Jostens Trophy and being selected as the Pete Nevins Lehigh Valley Small College Women's Basketball Player of the Year.
The Jostens Trophy is presented by the Salem (Va.) Rotary Club and is awarded to an outstanding NCAA Division III men's and women's basketball player who excels on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. The 2017 award marked the 20th presentation of the awards, with the inaugural trophies bestowed in 1998.
"It was an honor to be considered a finalist for the Jostens Trophy, especially considering what the award stands for and the other student-athletes who were also named finalists," McPherson said. "I love playing at Moravian and for Coach Mary Beth Spirk; I'm glad that I have been able to represent the school and the program well."
McPherson helped Moravian to a 20-8 record this winter and the program's 16th consecutive postseason appearance with berths to both the Landmark Conference Tournament and the ECAC Division III Tournament. McPherson led the Greyhounds in scoring at 22.9 points per game, and her 642 points this winter were the second most in a single season in school history. McPherson also led the Hounds on the boards at 8.6 rebounds per game to go with a team high 59 three-pointers and eight double-doubles. She added 80 assists, 20 steals and 15 blocked shots, and McPherson shot 80.8 percent at the foul line (143-of-177), 47.5 percent from the floor (220-of-463) and 38.8 percent beyond the arc (59-of-152). In just two seasons at Moravian, McPherson scored 1,028 points in 55 games.
"Looking back at the past season, it was a lot of fun," stated McPherson. "As a scorer, having teammates who look to get me the ball, and a coach who gives me the green light to be aggressive offensively makes it easy for me to do my job. I'm excited to keep working to become a better player and to help our team towards some big goals for the next season, and I know our coaches are going to keep pushing me to be my best."
This past winter, McPherson was named the Lehigh Valley Small College Women's Basketball Pete Nevins Player of the Year while earning a spot on the LVSCB Team of the Year, the Landmark All-Conference First Team, the ECAC Division III Metro All-Star First Team, the D3hoops.com All-Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team and the Women's DIII News Honorable Mention All-American list.
"Playing in the Lehigh Valley, I know first hand that there are a lot of great players and programs in the area. It meant a lot to be named the Small College Player of the Year, and to have earned the respect of the coaches and programs in the area," McPherson explained.
During the regular season, McPherson was a four-time Landmark Conference Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week honoree in 2016-17 to go with a spot on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week once, the ECAC Division III Metro Player of the Week once and the United States Basketball Writers Association Division III National Player of the Week once.
Off of the court, McPherson maintained a 3.63 GPA while majoring in political science and minoring in sociology and Spanish. She is a two-time selection to the Landmark Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll, and she made the dean's list in each of her semesters at Moravian. McPherson was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team in 2017 along with seven of the other nine female Jostens Trophy finalists.
McPherson is active in community service having taken part in Moravian's Play 4Kay efforts to raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund the last two years including working clinics in Bethlehem and Springfield, New Jersey as well as the Cops 'n Kids program reading and mentoring elementary school students at William Penn, Thomas Jefferson and Fountain Hill Elementary Schools in Bethlehem as well as working at a Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs AAA baseball game each fall to benefit the program. McPherson has also taken part in the American Heart Association Heartwalk, Cedarbrook Nursing Home Dream Catchers events, Pathways to Santa Christmas caroling at Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg, the Buddy Walk for Special Olympics, Moravian's after school program with Marvine Elementary School, William Penn's day at Moravian, and Moravian College's Day of Service at Northeast Middle School.
The number three story in the Top 10 Stories of 2016-17 will be released on Friday, August 11.