Aug. 17, 2005
Baylor senior standout Sophia Young has been chosen as one of the 25 preseason candidates for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today. The list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are members of an NCAA Division I institution and are selected based on the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.
Young led Baylor in both scoring and rebounding last season en route to the Lady Bears' NCAA national championship and was named most outstanding player of the NCAA Final Four. The talented forward averaged 18.4 points and 9.3 rebounds as a junior and earned Kodak/WBCA All-American honors. This is the second preseason Player of the Year candidate honor for Young, who was named a preseason Wooden Award candidate earlier this month. The native of St. Vincent, The Grenadines is on pace to become the Big 12's all-time scoring and rebounding leader. She currently has 1,744 career points and 987 career rebounds and needs 599 points and 237 rebounds to achieve that milestone.
"The 2005-2006 State Farm Wade Trophy preseason list is an example of the top-notch athletes that contribute to making each collegiate basketball game an exciting new experience," said Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto, Chair of the State Farm Wade Trophy Committee and Athletic Director at DePaul University. "These 25 student-athletes represent the most outstanding players on and off the court and we look forward to another outstanding year of women's basketball."
Young joins to 10 others who were on last season's "Wade Watch" including Seimone Augustus (LSU), Nikki Blue (UCLA), Monique Currie (Duke), Tiffany Jackson (Texas), Ivory Latta (UNC), Shawntinice Polk (Arizona), Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers), Khara Smith (DePaul), Kim Smith (Utah) and Ann Strother (Connecticut).
The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 28th year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. This most prestigious award, regarded as the "Heisman of Women's Basketball," is organized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).
Last year's The State Farm Wade Trophy recipient was Seimone Augustus (Louisiana State University). The first recipient of the Wade Trophy was Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State in 1978. Other Wade Trophy/NCAA Division I Player of the Year recipients include many WNBA standouts such as Teresa Weatherspoon (1988), Jennifer Azzi (1990), Ticha Penicheiro (1998), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003) and Cheryl Miller (1985), in addition to, two-time winner Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1980).
The 2006 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced during the WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four in Boston, Mass., March 31-April 4, 2006.
The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I 2005-06 Preseason List
The pre-season candidates for The State Farm Wade Trophy, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:
Seimone Augustus, Senior, G, Louisiana State
Nikki Blue, Senior, G, UCLA
Monique Currie, Senior, G/F, Duke
Jessica Davenport, Junior, C, Ohio State
Shay Doron, Junior, G, Maryland
Megan Duffy, Senior, G, Notre Dame
Candice Dupree, Senior, F/C, Temple
Sylvia Fowles, Sophomore, C, Louisiana State
Erin Grant, Senior, G, Texas Tech
Tasha Humphrey, Sophomore, F, Georgia
Tiffany Jackson, Junior, F, Texas
Tamara James, Senior, G/F, Miami
Crystal Langhorne, Sophomore, C/F, Maryland
Erlana Larkins, Sophomore, F, North Carolina
Ivory Latta, Junior, G, North Carolina
Shawtinice Polk, Senior, G, Arizona
Cappie Pondexter, Senior, G, Rutgers
Liz Shimek, Senior, F, Michigan State
Khara Smith, Senior, F, DePaul
Kim Smith, Senior, F, Utah
Tiffany Stansbury, Senior, F, NC State
Ann Strother, Senior, G/F, Connecticut
Candice Wiggins, Sophomore, G, Stanford
Sophia Young, Senior, F, Baylor
Shannon Zolman, Senior, G, Tennessee
