LOS ANGELES — Seimone Augustus, a sophomore for the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team, has been named to the first John R. Wooden Women’s Award Preseason All-American Team.
As a freshman, Augustus helped LSU to a 30-4 record, including a Southeastern Conference Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. She was the consensus National Freshman of the Year and averaged a team-high 14.8 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
Augustus is coming off a successful summer where she earned Most Valuable Player in the FIBA World Championship for Young Women, helping the United States to a Gold Medal.
The Wooden Award has been given to the nation’s top men’s basketball player since 1976 and now is the presenting the women’s award, given to the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player. Only returning players are eligible for the preseason team that consists of 30. That will be cut down to a midseason top 20 list in January followed in March by the official ballot with the top 10-15 players.
Over 250 voters from various media outlets across the nation will vote for the five-member All-American team and the Wooden Award winner.
Augustus, a 6-1 guard from Baton Rouge, is one of three sophomores on the list of 30 and is one of seven from the Southeastern Conference.