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Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the MonthThe Greater New Orleans Sports Selection Committee began in 1958 when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 12 years, the committee honored local athletes each month. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the creation of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the committee has continued to recognize the top amateur athlete in the Greater New Orleans area each month - the honors enter their 52nd year in 2010. To be eligible, an athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region. Each of the monthly award winners are honored in the summer at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.  Brittany Powell, a junior forward for the Xavier University women's basketball team, has been named the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for January.Powell led Xavier to a 9-2 month of January, including nine straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference victories to take over first place in the league. She averaged 17.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 60 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free-throw line. She was named the GCAC Player of the Week three times during the month and after scoring 29 and 27 points in back-to-back games was also named the NAIA Division I National Player of the Week and the Louisiana Player of the Week. Her 29- and 27-point games are the top two scoring performances by a Xavier female in the last six years. After opening the month with two non-league losses by a total of three points, the Gold Nuggets rattled off nine straight victories. They remain in first place in the GCAC and are now ranked No. 19 in the nation. Powell was selected in tight balloting which included three other outstanding candidates: Tulane standout Roshaundra Barnes, Loyola scoring machine Ryan Brock and Country Day star Matt Derenbecker. Barnes has been the spark for the Green Wave women's basketball team, which leads Conference USA and is bidding to make a return to the NCAA Tournament; Brock is sixth nationally in scoring in NAIA with 21.4 points per game; and Derenbecker is arguably the top high school basketball player in the state, averaging 25.1 points, 11 rebounds and five assists per game. Allstate Sugar Bowl Amateur Athlete of the Month Honors 2010
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