Cougar Women’s Basketball Player Charity Smith Named California Community College Athletic Association’s Woman Athlete of the Month

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – College of the Canyons women's basketball forward Charity Smith was named the California Community College Athletic Association's (CCCAA) Woman Athlete of the Month for January 2009, as announced by the CCCAA on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. 

"Charity Smith has exceeded our expectations of her and is the main reason for our recent success," said College of the Canyons head coach Greg Herrick. "She is a model player on and off the court and we will miss her leadership when she completes this season in a few weeks."

Smith, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Palmdale High School, helped lead the Cougars to an 8-0 record during the month of January — averaging 16.8 points per game (ppg) and shooting 65 percent (60-of-93) from the floor.

In addition to her scoring prowess, Smith dominated both the offensive and defensive glass, pulling down a combined 78 boards to lead the Cougars with a 9.75 rebounds-per-game average in January.

Smith's most impressive performance of the month came against conference rival Los Angeles Valley College on Jan. 21, when she tied her season-high scoring total with 25 points, including 15-of-17 from the foul line, and added 10 rebounds and two blocks in the process.

Three games later, Smith shot an amazing 12-of-15 from the field to post 24 points and led the Cougars to a hard-fought victory over Citrus College. Behind Smith's hot shooting and aggressive rebounding, Canyons scored 82.8 ppg in January, compared to just 70.8 ppg during the Cougars' eight games in December.

The Athlete of the Month program is coordinated by the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) and the California Community Colleges Athletic Association (CCCAA).