McCoughtry Named to the Preseason Wooden Award List
October 31, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 31, 2007
Louisville, Ky. - Junior forward Angel McCoughtry was named one of 30 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award as announced by the John R. Wooden Award committee today. The Award is named for the three-time college basketball All American, 1932 Player of the Year and ten-time national championship coach at UCLA.
The list is composed of 30 female student athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the frontrunners for college basketball's most coveted trophy. These top 30 candidates are comprised of returning players. Transfers, freshmen, and medical redshirts are not eligible for this preseason list. They will be evaluated and considered for both the Midseason Top 20 list and the National Ballot.
"The Committee had an incredibly difficult task in narrowing down the nation's top 30 women's players, because over 50 players received at least one vote for the preseason list," said Wooden Award Chairman, Duke Llewellyn. "Our entire team at the Wooden Award is excited to see the best players in the nation vie for basketball's Player of the Year Award." McCoughtry was named to the Midseason Top 20 list last season. Last week she was named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year. She helped guide the United States win a gold medal at the Pan Am Games. McCoughtry led the United States in scoring with 12.6 points per game and ranked second in rebounding with 5.6 rebounds per game. She shot 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from behind the arc.
McCoughtry led the 23rd ranked Cardinals in scoring last season, averaging 21.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season. She also led the league in steals, averaging 3.5 per game and double-doubles with 19 on the season. She was named a WBCA/Kodak All-American and BIG EAST Player of the Year. She also earned second team Associated Press All-American honors as well as being named an All-American by Basketball Times, Sports Page Magazine.com, and Full Court Press. McCoughtry became just the third player in school history to score 1,000 career points in just two seasons. The sophomore scored her 1,000th career point in the Cardinals' NCAA Tournament win over BYU. She shattered the season scoring record last season with 754 points this season.
In mid-January, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 20 list, followed by the official voting ballot in March consisting of approximately 15 players. In order to be considered for the National Ballot each player must be certified by her university as meeting the Award's criteria, including making progress toward graduation, and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Over 200 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.
The 2008 Wooden Award Weekend, which will include the presentation of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award, the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award to Pat Summitt from the University of Tennessee, will take place April 11-April 12, 2008. The top five male and female finalists will be invited to Los Angeles for the Award celebration and will receive a contribution from The Los Angeles Athletic Club in their name to their university's general scholarship fund.
*Some information was provided by the LRPR
