Dales Earns Highest Honor In Women's Hoops

March 29, 2001

St. Louis, Mo. - Junior All-American guard Stacey Dales was named to the 2001 Kodak Women's Basketball All-America first team on Wednesday. Dales, who's in St. Louis for the award ceremony, is one of only two non-seniors on the 10-member team. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association member coaches in each of the eight WBCA geographical districts selected for the team.

The Brockville, Ontario, Canada, native continues to set high standards for future Sooners as she becomes the first Oklahoma player to earn this elite accolade. Former teammate Phylesha Whaley was an honorable mention Kodak All-American selection a year ago. Dales was also the only non-senior voted to the Associated Press All-America first team and was one of two juniors selected to the United States Basketball Writers Association All-America team.

"It's such a great feeling," Dales said of the receiving the honor. "I know there are some very good players in this country. I've worked very hard and it has paid off. I feel like I really improved this summer playing on the Canadian Olympic team It's a great accomplishment for me and for the program I am associated with. I am very excited about it."

Dales, the Big 12 Player of the Year, competed for the Canadian Olympic team in Sydney, Australia, this past summer and had a phenomenal year for the Sooners. The junior led OU to a 28-6 record, a No. 7 national ranking and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. She averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals and a Big 12-leading 7.3 assists a game. Her mark for assists is also among the NCAA's top 10. Dales shot 47.6 percent from the field and had a team-best 1.8 assist/turnover ratio.

She's in the elite company of Connecticut's Svetlana Abrosimova, Tennessee's Tamika Catchings, Notre Dame's Ruth Riley, Duke's Georgia Schweitzer, Southwest Missouri State's Jackie Stiles, Georgia's Kelly Miller, Purdue's Katie Douglas, Louisiana State's Marie Ferdinand and Mississippi State's LaToya Thomas. Thomas, a sophomore, is the other non-senior on this team.

Dales remains a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman-Cline Step Up Award which honors the nation's top collegiate point guard.

"This is the pinnacle of awards in women's college basketball," said Head Coach Sherri Coale. "For Stacey to receive it at any time, particularly her junior season, is quite a statement about her ability. It also is a wonderful reflection on our program and the university. It gives us (Oklahoma) great reason for optimism for 2001-2002.

"She is a deserving kid who has worked so hard and has improved so much since her freshman year. Stacey has become more than just a great athlete, she's a great basketball player. She's a great representative of our team off the court as well. She's the epitome of what a student-athlete should be and a perfect ambassador for the University of Oklahoma."

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as an amateur sport for women and girls.

Kodak recognizes the accomplishments of young athletes and the positive recognition they bring to their school by displaying their talents on the basketball floor. Kodak has sponsored the Kodak Women's All-America Basketball Team for 28 years. In addition to its sponsorship of the Kodak All-America Team, the company is a worldwide sponsor of the Olympic Games.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Dales Earns Highest Honor In Women's Hoops

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