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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association
has selected 20 outstanding players for its first Midseason Watch
List for the Women's National Player of the Year. Members
of the association's board of directors chose the players to be
included on the list as contenders for the trophy, which will be
presented to the national player of the year in Denver at the USBWA's
Women's College Basketball Awards Breakfast on April 3.
Three Notre Dame teammates headline the list, which also has
a pair of real sister teammates at Stanford and two stars each from
Baylor, Connecticut, Miami and Ohio State. The Irish trio are Skylar
Diggins, Natalie Novosel and Devereaux Peters, who are joined by
Nneka Ogwumike and her younger sister Chiney at Stanford; Buckeyes
standouts Tayler Hill and Samantha Prahalis; Hurricanes backcourt
stars Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams; Huskies teammates Bria
Hartley and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (the lone freshman on the list);
and the Bears inside-outside combo of Brittney Griner and Odyssey
Sims.
Five National Players of the Week from this season are featured
as well: Brittney Griner from Baylor, Elena Delle Donne from Delaware,
Nneka Ogwumike from Stanford, Sugar Rodgers from Georgetown, and
A'dia Mathies from Kentucky. Last season's women's winner as the
National Freshman of the Year, Odyssey Sims of Baylor is also among
the players to watch down the stretch.
Overall, the list by class and dominated from the top includes
six seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores and one freshman appearing.
The Big East boasts seven players while the Atlantic Coast Conference
has four on the list to lead all conferences, while a total of 13
schools in eight conferences are represented.
Following is the complete watch list:
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2012 WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR MIDSEASON WATCH LIST |
| Pos. |
No. |
Player, School |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| G/F |
11 |
Elena Delle Donne,
Delaware |
6-5 |
Jr. |
Wilmington, Del. |
| G |
4 |
Skylar Diggins,
Notre Dame |
5-9 |
Jr. |
South Bend, Ind. |
| G |
12 |
Chelsea Gray,
Duke |
5-11 |
So. |
Stockton, Calif. |
| C |
43 |
Brittney Griner,
Baylor |
6-8 |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
| G |
14 |
Bria Hartley,
Connecticut |
5-7 |
So. |
North Babylon, N.Y. |
| G |
4 |
Tayler Hill, Ohio
State |
5-10 |
Jr. |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
| G |
42 |
Shenise Johnson,
Miami |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Henrietta, N.Y. |
| G |
1 |
A'dia Mathies,
Kentucky |
5-9 |
Jr. |
Louisville, Ky. |
| F |
23 |
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis,
Connecticut |
6-0 |
Fr. |
Anaheim Hills, Calif. |
| G |
21 |
Natalie Novosel,
Notre Dame |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Lexington, Ky. |
| F |
13 |
Chiney Ogwumike,
Stanford |
6-3 |
So. |
Cypress, Texas |
| F |
30 |
Nneka Ogwumike,
Stanford |
6-2 |
Sr. |
Cypress, Texas |
| F |
14 |
Devereaux Peters,
Notre Dame |
6-2 |
Sr. |
Chicago, Ill. |
| G |
21 |
Samantha Prahalis,
Ohio State |
5-7 |
Jr. |
Commack, N.Y. |
| F |
24 |
Niveen Rasheed,
Princeton |
6-0 |
Jr. |
Danville, Calif. |
| G |
14 |
Sugar Rodgers,
Georgetown |
5-11 |
Jr. |
Suffolk, Va. |
| G |
1 |
Khadijah Rushdan,
Rutgers |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Wilmington, Del. |
| G |
0 |
Odyssey Sims,
Baylor |
5-9 |
So. |
Irving, Texas |
| F |
25 |
Alyssa Thomas,
Maryland |
6-2 |
So. |
Harrisburg, Pa. |
| G |
1 |
Riquna Williams,
Miami |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Pahokee, Fla. |
| By conference:
Big East (7); ACC (4); Big Ten (2); Big 12 (2); Pac-12 (2);
CAA (1); Ivy (1); SEC (1). |
| By class:
Seniors (6); Juniors (8); Sophomores (5); Freshmen (1). |
While these standout players are the leading contenders to be
named to the USBWA's All-America Team and as finalists for the Women's
National Player of the Year award, all Division I players remain
eligible for postseason honors from the USBWA. The association will
announce its 2012 All-America Team in mid-March. At that time, finalists
will also be chosen for the player of the year. Once finalists are
announced, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the winner
of the National Player of the Year.
Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a Women's National
Player of the Year. In each of the last three seasons, a Connecticut
Player has won the award. Maya Moore took home the honor in 2009
and '11, while Tina Charles was the player of the year in 2010.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in
1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers.
With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential
organizations in college basketball. It has selected a women's All-America
team since the 1996-97 season. For more information on the USBWA
and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Joe Mitch
at 314-444-4300.
Related link:
• All-time USBWA women's
honors
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