March 12, 2006
ATLANTA - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has selected its all-star line-up for the 2006 WBCA All-Star Challenge Game. On Saturday, April 1, the top 20 senior collegiate players in women's basketball, not playing in the NCAA ® Women's Final Four ®, will showcase their talents at Matthews Arena on Northeastern University's campus.
This capstone event tips-off the 25th Annual WBCA National Convention, which takes place in Boston, at the site of this year's NCAA Women's Final Four. The WBCA All-Star Challenge game will be the second of a doubleheader event featured during the "WBCA Night of All-Stars." Fans will have an opportunity to watch and collect autographs from the future WNBA stars, as well as see the WBCA High School All-America Game, presented by Nike, which tips off at 4:30 p.m. (ET).
The WBCA All-Star Challenge features 17 of the top senior NCAA Division I players, voted on by Division I WBCA-member head coaches. The remaining three players are the top senior vote getters in the State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year ballots. They are selected from the NCAA Division II, III and NAIA levels. Those names will be released at a later date.
The 2006 roster includes:
Player - Institution - Position
La'Tangela Atkinson - North Carolina - Guard/Forward
Seimone Augustus - LSU - Guard/Forward
Sherill Baker - Georgia - Guard/Forward
Nikki Blue - UCLA - Guard
Lindsay Bowen - Michigan State - Guard
Monique Currie - Duke - Guard/Forward
Megan Duffy - Notre Dame - Guard
Candice Dupree - Temple - Forward
Erin Grant - Texas Tech - Guard
Alexis Kendrick - Georgia - Guard
Cappie Pondexter - Rutgers - Guard
Liz Shimek - Michigan State - Forward
Ann Strother - Connecticut - Guard/Forward
Barbara Turner - Connecticut - Forward
Mistie Williams - Duke - Forward
Sophia Young - Baylor - Forward
Shanna Zolman - Tennessee - Guard/Forward
NCAA DII POY (highest senior vote getter) (TBD)
NCAA DIII POY (highest senior vote getter) (TBD)
NCAA NAIA POY (highest senior vote getter) (TBD)
The All-Star Challenge roster may vary if any of the aforementioned players' teams are participating in the NCAA Women's Final Four.
"The WBCA All-Star Challenge has become one of the most popular events showcased in our national convention and the NCAA Women's Final Four," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "We look forward to watching yet another competitive and fun-filled game comprised of the nation's top players in the Class of 2006."
The WBCA All-Star Challenge participants will be signing autographs along with the WNBA's Swin Cash (Detroit Shock) and Lindsay Whalen (Connecticut Sun) beginning at 4:00 p.m. (ET). Doors open at 3:30 p.m. (ET).
Past stars of the All-Star Challenge include: Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury); Alana Beard (Washington Mystics); Cheryl Ford (Detroit Shock); Chantelle Anderson (San Antonio Silver Stars); Marie Ferdinand (San Antonio Silver Stars); Chamique Holdsclaw (Los Angeles Sparks); Ticha Penicherio (Sacramento Monarchs); Coco Miller (Washington Mystics) and Murriel Page (Los Angeles Sparks), and many more stars of the WNBA.
Reserved seats are available for $15 and $25 and can be purchased by calling 617-373-4700 or visiting www.wbca.org.
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport of women's basketball and to foster and promote the development of the game of basketball as an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit www.WBCA.org.
