Four Terps also among 25-player list
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Oklahoma center Courtney Paris, Tennessee forward Candace Parker and four members from the defending NCAA champion Maryland Terrapins are on the 25-player watch list for the Wade Trophy, which is presented to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's NCAA Division I player of the year.
The 6-foot-4 Paris averaged 21.9 points and 15.0 rebounds last season, becoming the first freshman selected to The Associated Press' first-team All-America list. The Piedmont, Calif., product led the Sooners to a 31-5 record and the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
In 2006, Parker guided the Lady Vols to a 30-5 record and an appearance in the Elite Eight during her rookie season. The Naperville, Ill., native led the team in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocks (2.4 bpg) and, like Paris, was named a Kodak All-American. Parker became the first female to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and the only woman to dunk twice in the same contest, when she slammed two home against Army in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19. She was a first team All-SEC selection, the SEC Freshman of the Year and the conference tournament MVP after hitting the game-winning shot to lift Tennessee past LSU 63-62.
The award is based on game and season statistics, leadership, character, a player's effect on her team and overall playing ability. The winner will be announced during the WBCA convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four in Cleveland on March 30-April 3.
The 2006-2007 The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Preseason List:
Name Year Pos. Institution Matee Ajavon Junior G Rutgers Alison Bales Senior C Duke Marissa Coleman Soph G/F Maryland Jazz Covington Senior C Louisville Jessica Davenport Senior C Ohio State Jessica Dickson Senior F South Florida Shay Doron Senior G Maryland Sylvia Fowles Junior C LSU Katie Gearlds Senior G/F Purdue Lindsey Harding Senior G Duke Tasha Humphrey Junior F Georgia Tiffany Jackson Senior F Texas Crystal Kelly Junior F Western Kentucky Crystal Langhorne Junior C/F Maryland Erlana Larkins Junior F North Carolina Ivory Latta Senior G North Carolina Eshaya Murphy Senior G Southern California Courtney Paris Soph C Oklahoma Candace Parker Soph F Tennessee Armintie Price Senior G Mississippi Noelle Quinn Senior G UCLA Jillian Robbins Senior F Tulsa Brooke Smith Senior C Stanford Kristi Toliver Soph G Maryland Candice Wiggins Junior G Stanford
