Danielle McCray Named To 2009-10 Preseason Wade Trophy Watch List

July 30, 2009

ATLANTA –

The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), on behalf of the Wade Coalition, announced the 2009-2010 preseason “Wade Watch” list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, with Kansas senior All American Danielle McCray earning one of 25 spots on the list. The list is made up 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.

“I am excited to announce the 25 student-athletes who make up the 2009-2010 State Farm Wade Trophy ‘Watch’ list,” said Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto, Chair of the State Farm Wade Trophy Committee and Athletic Director at DePaul University. “The committee has done a superb job yet again at selecting the best and brightest in the women’s game. This group represents 20 institutions and 10 conferences and if it is any indicator of what’s to come this season, I think we all have a lot to look forward to.”

McCray, who earned First Team All-Big 12 honors last season, returns for the 2009-10 season after averaging 21.6 points per game last season, which ranked second in the Big 12 and eighth in the NCAA. She also pulled down 7.7 rebounds per game, while ranking in the top 10 in the Big 12 in 10 different statistical categories. McCray topped the Big 12 in three-point field goal shooting as she connected on 42.6 percent of her shots from beyond the arc.

Following her outstanding junior season, McCray earned a spot on USA Basketball’s 2009 World University Games Team. The Olathe, Kan., native and her USA teammates captured the gold medal with a perfect 7-0 mark in the tournament held in Belgrade, Serbia. McCray ranked second on the squad with 12.0 points per game, while shooting a stellar 56.1 percent from the field.

This year’s list has 20 institutions and 10 conferences represented. Connecticut and Stanford each have three student-athletes on the list – Tina Charles, Tiffany Hayes and Maya Moore from the Huskies – and – Jayne Appel, Kayla Pederson and Jeannette Pohlen from the Cardinal. All five players joined McCray on the 2009 World University Games Team in Serbia.

The ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten and Pac-10 each have four student-athletes on the list, followed by the Big 12 (3), SEC (2), Atlantic-10 (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1) and West Coast (1).

Former Kansas great Lynette Woodard was the 1981 Wade Trophy winner, the only Jayhawk to capture the honor in its 32-year history. Woodard was the fourth overall winner of the award and took home the honor after averaging 24.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game during her senior campaign.

The only two-time winners of the Wade Trophy include Louisiana State’s Seimone Augustus (2005 and 2006) and Old Dominion’s Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1980).

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 33rd 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 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four, in San Antonio, Texas, April 2-6.

2009-2010 State Farm Wade Trophy Preseason List
The preseason candidates for The State Farm Wade Trophy are listed in alphabetical order:

The Wade Trophy Coalition was established in June of 2000 when the WBCA partnered with The National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). For the past eight years the two have worked together to present The State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year Award. A committee comprised of coaches, administration and media from across the United States selects the winner.