Moon named America East Women’s Basketball Player of the Year

Senior guard Kai Moon has been named the America East Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. The announcement was made by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon as it unveiled its 2019-20 all-star teams. Moon was also named to the America East All-Defensive Team while junior forward Olivia Ramil was selected to the conference’s All-Academic Team.

Moon is the third player in Binghamton program history—and second in the last three years—to earn the America East Conference’s highest annual honor. She joins Sarah Cartmill (2002) and Imani Watkins (2018), both of whom were also chosen during their senior seasons.

Heading into this week’s America East Tournament, Moon leads the conference and is No. 11 in the nation with 20.4 points per game. She is also tops in the America East with 2.3 steals per game as well as 2.97 three-point field goals per game.

Five times this season, Moon has been named the America East Player of the Week – the most times in a single season for a Binghamton player. She has reached the 30-point mark in scoring twice, including a career-high 36 points against Lafayette back on Nov. 8.

With Moon at the helm, the Bearcats have enjoyed one of the best seasons in their 46-year program history. With a 21-8 record, Binghamton has already recorded its most wins since the 2000-01 season.

“Kai is a special player and has worked hard to be named the Player of the Year,” head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord said. “She is an incredible young lady, both on and off the court. Kai is a leader, mentor and great ambassador to Binghamton Athletics in the community and it has been amazing to witness her growth the past two years. It is an honor to coach her.”

“It’s an incredible honor,” Moon said. “There have been a lot of great players in the conference and we’ve had some Players of the Year here at Binghamton so it’s an honor to be included with them.”

Moon has already cemented her name in the Binghamton record book. She is currently ranks fifth all time in program history with 1,459 career points and is No. 10 with 198 steals. She is also third all-time in free throw percentage (.815) and fifth with 201 three-point field goals.

Watkins played with Moon during her first two seasons. Now playing professionally in Greece, she has stayed in touch with Moon and watched her career flourish.

“It’s been a blessing to watch Kai grow and become everything we thought she could be,” she said. “From the quiet but determined freshman to the fearless leader she is now, she deserves this award because she has worked so hard. I’ve met very few people who study the game like Kai does and her work ethic and will are unmatched. It is a privilege to call her my friend.”

Cartmill, meanwhile, is the current head coach at Fredonia State. During her coaching career, she was at her alma mater for four years as an assistant (2010-14) and has kept close tabs on the Bearcats since then.

“It has been a joy to watch from afar as Kai has taken on the honor, pressure and privilege on being the player that everyone opponent prepares for and tries to shut down,” she said. “She has been that player that steps up for her teammates and coaches and made things happen. Congratulations to Kai from one Bearcat to another and I wish her the best of luck as she finishes her journey.”

This marks the fourth consecutive year that Moon has been honored with an annual award by the America East Conference. After being named to the All-Rookie Team in 2017, she was named third-team all-conference as a sophomore and to the second-team last year. She moved up to the first team this year in addition to her other two awards.

Ramil, meanwhile, was chosen to the All-Academic Team based on the combination of her success on the court and in the classroom. She is a member of the National College Athlete Honor Society and has ranked third on the team in scoring this year (8.4 ppg.), third in rebounding (5.7 rpg.) and second in blocks (0.9 bpg.). Her block average also ranks sixth in the America East.

The signature game for Ramil this year was a 13-point, 20-rebound, five-block performance against UMass Lowell on Jan. 11. It marked the most rebounds by a Binghamton player since 1993.

Binghamton is the No. 4 seed in the America East Tournament and hosts No. 5 New Hampshire at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 4.