Louisville guards Hailey Van Lith and Mykasa Robinson earn All-ACC basketball honors again
Louisville lobbied for weeks that Mykasa Robinson was the best defender in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cardinals' pushed for her to be named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
But two days after her final home game at KFC Yum! Center — where she had six points, nine rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 68-65 loss to Notre Dame — Robinson made the All-ACC defensive team but did not earn Defensive Player of the Year, finishing second in the voting.
That honor went to Duke guard Celeste Taylor instead. Taylor earned 227 points in the voting to Robinson's 195.
Robinson averaged 5.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and four assists per game this season.
Still, it's the second straight defensive team nod for the Cardinals' fifth-year senior guard. Junior Hailey Van Lith was again named All-ACC first team. The teams were announced Tuesday afternoon.
#ncaaW #ACCwbb@LouisvilleWBB's Mykasa Robinson is *the only player in the country* averaging at least 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and less than 2 turnovers per-game, per @herhoopstats.
She's just the 16th player since 2009 with that line.— LaMont Russell (@LaMonster34) February 28, 2023
"If they don't give this award to her (Robinson), that's the biggest snub I've ever seen," Van Lith said of her teammate last Thursday after Robinson had 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Louisville’s 71-57 win over Miami. "I've never seen somebody who can lock down one through five. She can guard the biggest girl in the conference and the quickest guard in the conference. Defensive Player of the Year. I'm glad she's on my team."
Van Lith led the Cardinals with 19.4 points per game while shooting 41.2% from the field. She had 15 games with 20 or more points, which included a season-high 29 points in an 81-79 loss to Virginia Tech on Jan. 12. The Washington native was the team’s second-leading rebounder with 5.0 per outing to go along with 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals.
Robinson and Van Lith are not done this season as the Cardinals (21-10, 12-6) enter postseason play. Louisville, the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament, is set to play in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. Friday against an opponent yet to be determined.
2022-23 All-ACC Women's Basketball Team
Player of the Year: Elizabeth Kitley, Sr., C, Virginia Tech
Defensive Player of the Year: Celeste Taylor, Sr., G, Duke
Rookie of the Year: Ta’Niya Latson, G, Florida State
Coach of the Year: Niele Ivey, Notre Dame
Sixth Player of the Year: Saniya Rivers, So., G, NC State
Most Improved Player: Makayla Timpson, So., F, Florida State
All-ACC First Team
Elizabeth Kitley, Sr., C, Virginia Tech 1,447 points
Olivia Miles, So., G, Notre Dame 1,385
Ta’Niya Latson, Fr., G, Florida State 1,304
Hailey Van Lith, Jr., G, Louisville 1,156
Georgia Amoore, Jr., G, Virginia Tech 1,083
Dyaisha Fair, Sr., G, Syracuse 1,060
Deja Kelly, Jr., G, North Carolina 1,037
Celeste Taylor, Sr., G, Duke 898
Sonia Citron, So., G, Notre Dame 878
Alyssa Ustby, Jr., G, North Carolina 710
All-ACC Second Team
Makayla Timpson, So., F, Florida State 700
Jewel Spear, Jr., G, Wake Forest 676
Diamond Johnson, So., G, NC State 394
Haley Cavinder, Sr., G, Miami 364
Destiny Harden, Gr., F, Miami 326
Amari Robinson, Sr., F, Clemson 310
Camryn Taylor, Sr., F, Virginia 292
Maddy Westbeld, Jr., F, Notre Dame 285
Kennedy Todd-Williams, Jr., G, North Carolina 279
Taylor Soule, Gr., F, Virginia Tech 220
All-Defensive Team
Celeste Taylor, Sr., G, Duke 227
Mykasa Robinson, Gr., G, Louisville 195
Elizabeth Kitley, Sr., C, Virginia Tech 163
Makayla Timpson, So., F, Florida State 153
Dyaisha Fair, Sr., G, Syracuse 81
All-Freshman Team
Ta’Niya Latson, G, Florida State 374
Taina Mair, G, Boston College 251
Tonie Morgan, G, Georgia Tech 162
Ruby Whitehorn, G, Clemson 120
KK Bransford, G, Notre Dame 82
ACC Most Improved
Makayla Timpson, Florida State 292
Dontavia Waggoner, Boston College 160
Camryn Taylor, Virginia 86
ACC Sixth Player
Saniya Rivers, NC State 226
Lauren Ebo, Notre Dame 211
D’asia Gregg, Virginia Tech 119
ACC Coach of the Year
Niele Ivey, Notre Dame 211
Kara Lawson, Duke 142
Kenny Brooks, Virginia Tech 137
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: All-ACC women's basketball team: Hailey Van Lith and Mykasa Robinson
