Amber Harris Named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List
Oct. 31, 2007
The list is composed of 30 female student athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the frontrunners for college basketball's most coveted trophy. These top 30 candidates are comprised of returning players. Transfers, freshmen, and medical redshirts are not eligible for this preseason list. They will be evaluated and considered for both the Midseason Top 20 list and the National Ballot. Harris, who was recently named to the Preseason All-America Third Team by The Sporting News and as a Preseason All-League First Team pick by the A-10, was only the third freshman in league history to be named to the First Team last season. Harris, who broke XU's freshman scoring and rebounding records last year, was also honored as the 2006-07 A-10 Rookie of the Year. The The Musketeers finished the 2006-07 season with a 26-8 record and took home the championship hardware from the Atlantic 10 Championship. XU also earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time and the fifth time in the last nine years. The Musketeers are receiving 30 votes in the Preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, which is tied for the 33rd most votes in the poll. "The Committee had an incredibly difficult task in narrowing down the nation's top 30 women's players, because over 50 players received at least one vote for the preseason list," said Wooden Award Chairman, Duke Llewellyn. "Our entire team at the Wooden Award is excited to see the best players in the nation vie for basketball's Player of the Year Award." In mid-January, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 20 list, followed by the official voting ballot in March consisting of approximately 15 players. In order to be considered for the National Ballot each player must be certified by their university as meeting the Award's criteria, including making progress toward graduation, and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Over 200 voters, comprised of sports media members and women's college basketball experts from across the nation, will cast their votes for the five-member All-American team and Wooden Award honor as the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player in the nation. 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 such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), and last year's recipients, Kevin Durant of Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship funds in the names of the All-American recipients, and has sent over 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 Olympians and the All-American team members, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club during the Wooden Award Weekend. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please call 213-630-5231 or email lindreid@aol.com/woodenaward@laac.net, or visit www.WoodenAward.com. Women's John R. Wooden Award Preseason All-American Team - Top 30 Candidates (Based on a preseason poll. Players listed alphabetically.)
* Indicates player was a 2006-07 Wooden Award All-American.
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