All-Americans Return in Stanford’s Ogwumike and three-time pick Moore of U. Conn

Los Angeles (October 5, 2010)— The Los Angeles Athletic Club has announced its Women’s Preseason Top 30 list; the men’s list was released yesterday. The women’s list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

Connecticut’s Maya Moore, the 2009 Wooden Award winner and a 2008 and 2010 Wooden All American, returns to lead her team as a senior. She is looking to become only the second four-time Wooden All American pick after averaging 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds a year ago for the undefeated Huskies. Ogwumike, the 2010 Pac-10 Player of the Year, averaged 18.5 ppg and 9.9 rpg a year ago for Stanford.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason list. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for December’s Midseason list and the official voting ballot released in March. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA.  The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation’s top five players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 35th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners, a special tribute to Coach Wooden and Wooden Award founder Duke Llewellyn, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 8-10, 2011.

Six schools, all perennial top programs at the national level, had two players chosen to the Preseason List: Connecticut (Moore, Tiffany Hayes); North Carolina (Jessica Breland, Italee Lucas); Ohio State (Jantel Lavender, Samantha Prahalis–both Wooden Award ballot picks in 2010); Stanford (Ogwumike, Kayla Pedersen); Tennessee (Angie Bjorklund, Shekenna Stricklen); and Xavier (Ta’Shia Phillips, Amber Harris).

The ACC and Big East each had five players named to the preseason Top 30. The Big 12, Big 10, Pac-10 and SEC each had three selections, followed by the Atlantic 10 and CAA with two, and the Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt and West Coast with one. Only four sophomores made the list: Baylor’s Brittney Griner, Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, Georgetown’s Sugar Rodgers and Skylar Diggins of Notre Dame.

2010-11 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 List, Women

(Based on a preseason poll. Players listed alphabetically.)
*indicates player chosen to the 2010 Wooden All American Team)
#indicates player was 2009 Wooden Award winner)
% indicates player chosen to the 2008 Wooden All American Team)