Davis Earns Spot on Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 List

Oct. 10, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior Carolyn Davis was honored Monday when she was named one of 30 student-athletes to the Preseason John R. Wooden Award list, making the 6-foot-3 forward a frontrunner for one of the most prestigious individual honors in college basketball. The list, chosen by national college women’s basketball media members, is based on last year’s individual performance and team records.

The Wooden Award preseason list is among the latest honors for Davis. She has also been named a member of the State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List for player of the year as well as to the Preseason All-Big 12 Women’s Basketball Team.

“I am very honored to be named to the Wooden Award preseason list in the company of such talented players,” said Davis. “My teammates and coaches deserve a lot of the credit because they push me everyday to be the best player I can be.”

One of four Big 12 Conference players on the list, Davis was one of four Big 12 players to rank in the top 10 for both scoring and rebounding last season as she turned in a team-high 19.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The Houston, Texas native is one of the country’s top returning shooters after ranking second last year with a .660 field goal percentage. That mark was the second-best shooting percentage in a Jayhawk single-season, as were her 176 free throws made.

During the 2010-11 season, Davis had 26 contests with double-figure scoring, including five games in which she scored 30 or more points. Her team-high nine double-doubles helped the Jayhawks go 21-13 after getting off to their best start (13-1) since 1993-94, while advancing to the postseason for the fourth-straight year.

“I am excited and very proud of Carolyn to be recognized with this prestigious award. To be associated with the top players in the country is an honor for her and a product of her hard work,” said Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson.

Davis becomes the second Jayhawk ever named to the Wooden Award preseason list. Danielle McCray was the first KU student-athlete, earning a spot on the list in 2009.

About the John R. Wooden Award

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Candace Parker (’07 and ’08) and Maya Moore of Connecticut (’09 and ’11). UConn’s Maya Moore (’11) won the women’s award in 2011.

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the All American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award’s name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.

2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 List, Women