IRVING, TEXAS - The defending national champion Texas A&M women's basketball team picked up numerous honors as the Big 12 Conference preseason awards were announced by the league office on Wednesday.
Kelsey Bone (Houston, Texas) was selected Preseason Newcomer of the Year and Alexia Standish (Colleyville, Texas) was named Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches. Senior Tyra White (Kansas City, Mo.) earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big 12 team and senior Sydney Carter (DeSoto, Texas) was chosen Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
The Aggies had the most honorees of any league school with four on the preseason list. A&M last had four Big 12 preseason honorees prior to the 2008-09 season.
Bone is the third Aggie in four years to earn Preseason Newcomer of the Year honors next to Tanisha Smith (2008-09) and Danielle Adams (2009-10). Bone will be a sophomore in athletic eligibility at A&M after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. The 6-5 center averaged 14 points and 9.2 rebounds as a freshman at South Carolina. She was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Newcomer of the Year by The Associated Press, Second Team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2010. Bone was also selected SEC Freshman of the Week three times and as a Freshman All-America by Full Court Press.
Standish averaged 23 points, six assists and four steals as a senior at Colleyville Heritage High School. She was a 2011 WBCA High School All-America honorable mention selection and played in the TABC Class 5A-4A All-Star Game. The 5-8 guard also was named to the 2011 TGCA All-Star Team. Standish is a two-time TABC Class 5A All-State and All-Region pick. She also earned a gold medal while playing on the 2009 USA Women's Basketball U16 National Team in Mexico City.
White blossomed into one of A&M's top players as a junior and was named a State Farm All-America Honorable Mention along with being selected to the Women's Final Four All-Tournament Team. The six-foot guard is the team's top returning scorer (13.8 ppg) who contributed 5.1 rebounds per game and helped the Aggies to their first national championship in program history. White shot a team-best 39 percent from beyond the arc and was an All-Big 12 First Team member and was honored on the Big 12 All-Tournament Team. She boasts 1,063 career points and was named to the State Farm Wade Trophy watch list earlier this year.
After earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and being selected All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2011, Carter returns as A&M top defensive player and shooting guard. Standing 5-foot-6, Carter averaged 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a junior and was instrumental in the Aggies' national championship run as the NCAA Dallas Regional Most Outstanding Player. She led the team with an 86.2 free-throw percentage, held an impressive 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio and registered her second straight 100-assist season.
The 2011-12 Aggies return three starters and 10 letterwinners and first step on the court Friday, Oct. 28 for the Maroon & White game.
2011-12 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Preseason awards
(coaches not allowed to vote for own players)
Preseason Player of the Year
Brittney Griner, Baylor, C, 6-8, Jr., Houston, Texas/Nimitz
Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Kelsey Bone, Texas A&M, C, 6-5, So., Houston, Texas/South Carolina
Preseason Co-Freshmen of the Year
Cassie Peoples, G, 5-6, Texas, Houston, Texas/Cy-Fair
Alexia Standish, G, 5-8, Texas A&M/Colleyville, Texas/Heritage
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
|
Name |
School |
Pos |
Ht |
Cl-Exp |
PPG |
RPG |
Hometown/Previous School |
|
Brittney Griner |
Baylor |
C |
6-8 |
Jr-2L |
23.0 |
7.0 |
Houston, Texas/Nimitz |
|
Odyssey Sims |
Baylor |
G |
5-8 |
So-1L |
13.1 |
3.0 |
Irving, Texas/MacArthur |
|
Carolyn Davis |
Kansas |
F |
6-3 |
Jr-2L |
19.0 |
7.4 |
Houston, Texas/Bush |
|
Toni Young |
Oklahoma State |
G/F |
6-2 |
Jr-2L |
15.5 |
9.1 |
Del City, Okla./Del City |
|
Chassidy Fussell |
Texas |
G |
5-10 |
So-1L |
16.2 |
4.9 |
Union City, Tenn./Obion County |
|
Texas A&M |
G |
6-0 |
Sr-3L |
13.8 |
5.1 |
Kansas City, Mo./Hickman Mills |
(ties in the voting created an additional spot)
Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically by school)
Brittany Chambers and Jalana Childs (Kansas State), Aaryn Ellenberg and Whitney Hand (Oklahoma), Sydney Carter (Texas A&M)