Oct. 5, 2010
LOS ANGELES - Texas A&M women's basketball senior Danielle Adams was one of 30 female student-athletes named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 List as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Tuesday.
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.
Adams, a 6-foot-1 combination forward/center, is coming off of a junior campaign in which she led Texas A&M averaging 16.3 points per game, while also ranking fifth in the Big 12 Conference in blocks (45) and offensive rebounds per game (2.9). Adams also averaged 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game during the 2009-10 season.
From Kansas City, Mo., Adams was already listed on the 2010-11 Wade Trophy Watch List and was named a Preseason All-American by the Sporting News'. A year ago, Adams was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and was chosen as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship. She was a finalist for the prestigious 10-member State Farm All-America Team and an All-Big 12 Second Team and AP All-America Honorable Mention selection.
The Wooden Award List will be updated in December's Midseason list and the official voting ballot is 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.
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). Ohio State's Evan Turner and Connecticut's Tina Charles won the Award in 2010.
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 on the Friday prior to the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.
Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5206 or email at woodenaward@laac.net.