Jan. 30, 2009
LOS ANGELES --- The midseason top 20 candidates for the Women's John R. Wooden Award, the nation's most coveted women's college basketball award, were named Thursday by The Los Angeles Athletic Club's Women's Wooden Award Committee, and North Carolina junior forward Jessica Breland was among those selected. The Kelford, N.C., product is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and leads the 18-3 Tar Heels in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and field goal percentage.
The midseason list is based on individual player performance and team records during the first half of the season. Heading the list are three-time Wooden All American Courtney Paris (16.0 ppg, 13.7 rpg) of Oklahoma and Connecticut sophomore Maya Moore (19.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg), a 2008 Wooden All American. On Wednesday Paris recorded her 111th consecutive double-double to help No. 2 Oklahoma beat fourth-ranked Baylor. Recently, Moore marked the second-highest single-game point total in school history dropping 40 points vs. Syracuse to become the fastest UConn player ever to reach 1,000 career points. This week, Paris recorded her 111th consecutive double-double to help the No. 2 Sooners beat fourth-ranked Baylor.
Three players have been selected to the midseason Top 20 who were not on the preseason list: Breland, Kristi Cirone of Illinois State and Alysha Clark of Middle Tennessee State. Overall, 40 players received votes for the Midseason Top 20, indicating the depth of talent across the country.
Top-ranked Connecticut is the only school with multiple players (3) selected to the Midseason Top 20: guard Renee Montgomery (16.5 ppg, 5.5 apg), center Tina Charles (16.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Moore. All three players rank in the Top 10 in the Big East in scoring. The undefeated Huskies boast a record of 20-0 this season to date.
The Big East Conference leads the midseason list with the most players (6) chosen to the Wooden Award Midseason List , followed by the ACC with four, the Big 12 with three, the Pac-10 with two and the Big Ten, SEC, Missouri Valley, Metro Atlantic and Sunbelt are represented with one candidate.
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More than 300 voters, comprised of sports media members and women's college basketball experts from across the nation, will cast their votes for the five-member All-American team and Wooden Award honor as the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player in the nation. Players who do not make the Midseason list are still eligible for the national ballot released in March. The National Ballot consist of approximately 15 players who have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The 2009 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners and the Legends of Coaching Award to Rick Barnes of the University of Texas, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of April 12-13.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Last year's winners were Tennessee's Candace Parker and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All-American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award's name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All-American players, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club.
