LOS ANGELES — Sylvia Fowles, a senior center for the LSU women’s basketball team, was named one of the five 2008 John R. Wooden Award Women’s All-American team, it was announced by Award Chairman Richard “Duke” Llewellyn at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on Wednesday.
The five Wooden Award All-Americans (Fowles, Connecticut’s Maya Moore, Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, Tennessee’s Candace Parker and Stanford’s Candice will be invited to Los Angeles for the Wooden Award Gala, to be held April 11, 2008, at the Los Angeles Downtown Sheraton Hotel. One of the five will be chosen as the recipient of the 2008 John R. Wooden Award as the player of the year.
More than 300 voters, comprised of sports media members and college basketball experts from around the nation, had until Tuesday to cast their votes, a long voting period that allowed voters to evaluate players up through games of the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Voter’s selected five players from the 17 athletes listed on the ballot, and ranked them from 1 to 10. Voters were asked to take into account performance during the regular season and postseason through games last Sunday, as well as a player’s character and academic performance, essential components of an outstanding player in the eyes of Coach John Wooden. All players on the Wooden All-America team were certified by their schools as maintaining a 2.0 GPA at their current school.
The All-America team features two seniors, two juniors and one freshman. Moore is the first freshman selected to the team since Paris in 2006. Conferences represented are the SEC, with two players, and the Pac-10, Big 12 and BIG EAST each with one.
Parker was a consensus national Player of the Year in leading the Lady Vols to the 2007 NCAA title, and this season she led the SEC in scoring at 21.1 points per game. Fowles beat out Parker for SEC Player of the Year honors and holds the SEC record for rebounds and double-doubles. She leads the Lady Tigers to the Final Four for the fourth time, where her team will face the Parker and the Lady Vols.
Moore is the nation’s top freshman, and was the first Big East player, male or female, to be named Big East Player of the Year. In her first season with the Huskies, the sharp shooter takes her team to the Final Four, and leads her squad in scoring at 18.1 ppg, while shooting 57.7% from the field and a league-best 48.8% from 3-point range. Paris dominates inside for Oklahoma, where she is a three-time Wooden All-American. This season, the 6-4 center averaged 18.6 points and a nation-leading 15.0 rebounds, shooting 56.1% from the field. Wiggins, the Pac-10’s all-time leading scorer, has two 40-point games in the NCAA Tournament, including a 41-point effort on Monday night to defeat Maryland and advance to the Final Four. She is also the Pac-10’s active career leader in both three-pointers and assists.
The 2008 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners, the Wooden Award All-American Teams, and the Legends of Coaching Award to Pat Summitt of the University of Tennessee, will be hosted by The Los Angeles Athletic Club at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles on Friday, April 11th.
The final vote tally will be released that night as well. The top five male and female finalists will be invited to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony and will receive a contribution from The Los Angeles Athletic Club for their university’s general scholarship fund.
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 cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), and Tim Duncan (’97) and last year’s recipients, Kevin Durant of Texas and returning player Candace Parker of Tennessee.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the All-American recipients and has 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-American players, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on the Friday of the John R. Wooden Award weekend.
Tickets for the Wooden Award Gala are on sale now and may be obtained by calling The Los Angeles Athletic Club at (213) 630-5291. For up to date information on all of the Wooden Award candidates, please go to www.woodenaward.com.