DELLE DONNE AND EVANS NAMED TO WADE TROPHY WATCH LIST
RICHMOND, Va. (Aug. 5, 2010) – Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball standouts Elena Delle Donne of Delaware and Dawn Evans of James Madison were added to the 2010-11 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) State Farm® Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year preseason watch list, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
The 25-member watch list consists of top NCAA Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: Game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.
Delle Donne, one of only four sophomores to earn a spot on the list, led Delaware to a 21-12 record and a berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) as a freshman. The Blue Hens’ forward was named the CAA Player and Rookie of the Year and became the first player in UD history to earn All-America honors when she garnered third team Associated Press and honorable mention Women’s Basketball Coaches Association accolades.
During her rookie campaign, Delle Donne was also a finalist for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy, awarded annually to the national player of the year. The Wilmington, Del., native set 18 school records and ranked third in the nation in scoring with 26.7 points per game. She netted a school record 54 points, the most by a Division I women’s player all season, against JMU and finished the year shooting 41.3 percent from the three-point line and 89.8 percent from the foul line. Delle Donne paced the Blue Hens with 8.8 rebounds per game, 60 blocked shots and 38 steals while ranking second on the squad in assists with 56.
Evans, a senior guard at JMU, was also a member of the Wade Trophy watch list in 2009-10. She ranked fifth in the nation in scoring with 24.6 points per game, was third nationally in three-pointers per game (3.6) and also was third in the CAA with 4.6 assists per game last season. Evans, who received honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press, was also among the candidates for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.
The Clarksville, Tenn., product has set numerous school records, including single-game points (38), career 30-point games (17), season points (761), season free-throws (177) and season three-pointers (112). Evans is a two-time first-team All-CAA selection and was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2010 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship after leading the Dukes to their first league title since 1989.
The CAA is one of eight conferences to have multiple players named to the list. The Big East and Southeastern Conference each have four student-athletes represented on the list, followed by the Atlantic Coast (3), Big Ten (3), Big 12 (3), Atlantic 10 (2), Colonial Athletic (2) and Pac-10 (2).
The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 34th 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 highly prestigious award, regarded as the “Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” is organized by the WBCA, in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).
The 2011 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four, in Indianapolis, Ind.
The preseason candidates for The State Farm Wade Trophy are listed in alphabetical order as follows:
Name, Year, Position, InstitutionDanielle Adams, Senior, Center, Texas A&M University
Kachine Alexander, Senior, Guard, University of Iowa
Angie Bjorklund, Senior, Guard, University of Tennessee
Kelley Cain, Junior, Center, University of Tennessee
Elena Delle Donne, Sophomore, Forward, University of DelawareSkylar Diggins, Sophomore, Guard, University of Notre Dame
Victoria Dunlap, Senior, Forward, University of Kentucky
Dawn Evans, Senior, Guard, James Madison UniversityBrittney Griner, Sophomore, Center, Baylor University
Amber Harris, Senior, Forward, Xavier University
Tiffany Hayes, Junior, Guard, University Of Connecticut
Shenise Johnson, Junior, Guard, University of Miami
Jantel Lavender, Senior, Center, Ohio State University
Maya Moore, Senior, Forward, University Of Connecticut
Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Junior, Forward, Stanford University
Kayla Pedersen, Senior, Forward, Stanford University
Ta'Shia Phillips, Senior, Center, Xavier University
Samantha Prahalis, Junior, Guard, Ohio State University
Chastity Reed, Senior, Forward, Univ. of Arkansas - Little Rock
Danielle Robinson, Senior, Guard, University of Oklahoma
Sugar Rodgers, Sophomore, Guard, Georgetown University
Shekinna Stricklen, Junior, Guard, University of Tennessee
Carolyn Swords, Senior, Center, Boston College
Jasmine Thomas, Senior, Guard, Duke University
Courtney Vandersloot, Senior, Guard, Gonzaga University