This season, the Grizz Gang faithful were treated to the heroics, leadership and spectacular play of a star senior on the hardwood.

While Reggie Hamilton may have grabbed the most headlines in the program and caused other performers to be lost in the shadow of his play, the Oakland women’s basketball team was led by a dominant force that cast a large shadow of her own.

Brittany Carnago cemented her place among the all-time Oakland greats by rewriting the books and being the unquestioned leader of her squad both on and off the court.

Head coach Beckie Francis pointed to her defensive prowess as what defined her game.

“Brit is an awesome defender, she holds the record in blocked shots at Oakland and was one of the best defenders in our conference and in the nation,” Francis said. “She intimidates with her size and is the best overall center the program has ever had since I have been the OU coach.”

The two-time Oakland captain finished her career with 276 blocks — a school record.

This season, Carnago was ranked 7th in blocks among all Division I female players, registering 3.28 per game.

On Dec. 11, she swatted away 11 shots in a win against the University of Illinois-Chicago, which ranked the second most in a game in all of the NCAA this season.

In addition, Carnago averaged 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season.

While Francis was obviously pleased with Carnago’s defensive dominance, the coach pointed to other aspects of her play and character that truly made Carnago one of the best to ever put on an Oakland uniform.

“Brit is a wonderful player and leader and is also very unselfish offensively, consistently being one of the tops (on the team) in assists,” Francis said. “Brit also leads by example academically, the team GPA is 3.3 or higher every semester and Brit consistently gets over a 3.5.”

While Coach Francis was quick to praise her star center, Carnago credited her coach for her success this season

“Coach Beckie has really helped me in ways to take my game to the next level and has instilled in me a work ethic that has helped me to develop into the player I am today,” Carnago said. “Not only has she helped me as a player, but she is always cheering me on and trying to get my name out there for professional coaches to see me.”

Carnago was able to show off her skills in front of many professional coaches at a recent showcase. Late last month, the 6-foot-4 center participated in the 2012 ProHoops Free Agent Camp in Denver. The invitation-only event showcased the abilities of some of the best players in the country in front of WNBA personnel.

“I feel that I represented myself and the program well (at the camp),” Carnago said. “I went hard in every drill, I was a leader, and I believe that I displayed my work ethic and talent with the time that I had.”

If scouts and coaches were impressed enough by her play, Carnago has the chance to become the first player in OU history to make the jump to the WNBA.

Francis recalled the first time she saw Carnago play, and she thought to herself “(Carnago) is a pro.” She also said the Oakland star already has three offers from teams overseas.

“I have two tremendous opportunities, one is playing overseas and the other is finishing (my) master’s degree,” Carnago said. “It’s a tough position to be in, but I am very lucky to have such amazing opportunities.”

Matt Pocket, the voice of the women’s team on WXOU for the past three seasons, believes that Carnago will make it to the “big show” next season.

“Her pro prospects are pretty darn good because the system that Coach Francis runs allowed Brit to showcase and develop a wide variety of skills,” Pocket said. “She’s a great system fit, in addition to being an intelligent player who can block shots, swing the ball on the perimeter, take the mid-range jump shot, post up with the ball and score off a couple of great moves.”

Fellow teammate Bethany Watterworth also believes Carnago will be able to make the jump to the professional stage.

“She will compete at the next level because she can match up with pro posts due to her size and athleticism and she has a great skill set,” Watterworth said. “You can’t coach height, and Brittany obviously has a lot of it and really knows how to use it to her advantage by using exceptional post moves.”

While Watterworth led the team in scoring this season, she pointed to Carnago as the true leader of the squad.

“Brittany is very hardworking and determined,” Watterworth said. “She is a great leader that I look up to, having the ability to rally the troops.”

Hopefully next season Watterworth and the rest of the Oakland community will be looking up to Carnago as she takes her talents to the next level.