Paris Named to Wooden Watch List

Nov. 6, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- Oklahoma senior Courtney Paris was one of 30 women's college basketball players named to the preseason Wooden Award All-America Team and Player of the Year watch list, announced Wooden Award chairman and founder Richard “Duke” Llewellyn Wednesday.

Two of the candidates selected to this year's preseason list were honored in 2007-08 as members of the 2008 Women's Wooden Award All-American Team, including three-time All-American Courtney Paris of Oklahoma and Connecticut's Maya Moore. In addition, five other 2008-09 preseason nominees were named to the women's Wooden Award National Ballot last year, including Tina Charles (Connecticut), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville), Epiphanny Prince (Rutgers), Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State) and Kristi Toliver (Maryland).

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason list. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for January's Midseason list and the official voting ballot released in March.

"I am pleased to see so many players returning from last season's ballot," said Llewellyn. "I am sure Courtney Paris hopes it will be her year. Certainly to be named an All-American four times would be a tremendous honor in itself and with all the amazing talent across the country, this is going to be a memorable season."

The breadth of talent across the country is shown by the number of NCAA Division I schools (25) and conferences (10) highlighted on the list. The Big East boasts eight candidates, followed by the ACC (5), Big 12 (4), Pac-10 (3), SEC (3), Atlantic 10 (2), Big Ten (2), Conference USA (1), Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (1) and the West Coast Conference (1).

Connecticut leads the way as the only program with three players on the preseason list: (Moore, Charles and Renee Montgomery), followed by Maryland (Toliver and Marissa Coleman), California (Devanei Hampton, Ashley Walker) and Rutgers (Prince, Kia Vaughn) with two. In total, 17 seniors, 10 juniors and three sophomores were selected to the Preseason Top 30 List.

In mid-January, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 20 list, followed in March by the National Ballot, consisting of approximately 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Women's Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round during the NCAA Tournament.

The 33rd annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award to Rick Barnes from The University of Texas, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club in April, 2009.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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