March 6, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

2007-08 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HONORS
STANFORD'S WIGGINS NAMED PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
STANFORD'S PEDERSEN NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
ARIZONA STATE'S JANUARY NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
STANFORD'S VANDERVEER HONORED AS PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- In a vote of the league's 10 head coaches, STANFORD senior Candice Wiggins becomes the first player to be named Pacific-10 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year three times in her career. STANFORD's Kayla Pedersen has been named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, while ARIZONA STATE's Briann January is distinguished as the first-ever Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Tara VanDerveer of STANFORD has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.

The complete Conference honors are listed below.

ALL-PAC-10 FIRST TEAM
Jayne Appel, Stanford, F/C, So., 6-4, Pleasant Hill, Calif.
Devanei Hampton***, California, F/C, Jr., 6-3, Oakland, Calif.
Lindsey Pluimer, UCLA, F, Sr., 6-4, San Clemente, Calif.
Ashley Walker**, California, F/C, Jr., 6-1, Modesto, Calif.
Candice Wiggins****, Stanford, G, Sr., 5-11, San Diego, Calif.

ALL-PAC-10 SECOND TEAM
Alexis Gray-Lawson, California, G, Jr., 5-8, Oakland, Calif.
Briann January, Arizona State, G, Jr., 5-8, Spokane, Wash.
Lauren Lacey, Arizona State, F/C, Jr., 6-3, Olympia Fields, Ill.
Nadia Parker, USC, C, Jr., 6-3, Spanaway, Wash.
Ashley Whisonant, Arizona, G, Sr., 5-8, Bowie, Md.

ALL-PAC-10 THIRD TEAM
Emily Florence, Washington, G, Sr., 5-5, Boise, Idaho
Mercedes Fox-Griffin, Oregon State, G, Jr., 5-7, La Jolla, Calif.
Camille LeNoir, USC, G, Jr., 5-6, Los Angeles, Calif.
Taylor Lilley, Oregon, G, So., 5-6, Newhall, Calif.
Kayla Pedersen, Stanford, F, Fr., 6-4, Fountain Hills, Ariz.

**two-time All-Pac-10 honoree;
***three-time All-Pac-10 honoree;
****four-time All-Pac-10 honoree

HONORABLE MENTION (also nominated): Ashley Allen (OSU, Sr., G); Katie Appleton (WSU, Jr., G); Doreena Campbell (UCLA, Fr., G); Kaela Chapdelaine (ORE, Sr., G); Jillian Harmon (STAN, Jr., F); JJ Hones (STAN, So., G); Amina Njonkou (ARIZ, Jr., F); Jill Noe (ASU, Grad, G); Heather Oliver (USC, So., G); Natasha Vital (CAL, So., G).

PAC-10 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Doreena Campbell, UCLA, G, 5-10, Alexandria, Va.
Ify Ibekwe, Arizona, F, 6-1, Carson, Calif.
Kayla Pedersen, Stanford, F, 6-4, Fountain Hills, Ariz.
Katelan Redmon, Washington, G/F, 6-1, Spokane, Wash.
Talisa Rhea, Oregon State, G, 5-11, Juneau, Alaska

HONORABLE MENTION (also nominated):Kelsey Adrian (CAL, G/F); Nicole Canepa (ORE, F); Tasha Dickey (ARIZ, G); Nina Earl (UCLA, F); Kezia Kelly (WSU, G); Kari LaPlante (USC, F); Darxia Morris (UCLA, G); Jeanette Pohlen (STAN, G); Regina Rogers (UCLA, F/C).

PAC-10 DEFENSIVE TEAM
Emily Florence, Washington, G, Sr., 5-5, Boise, Idaho
Tierra Henderson, UCLA, G, Jr., 5-10, Pasadena, Calif.
Briann January, Arizona State, G, Jr., 5-8, Spokane, Wash.
Simone Jelks, USC, F, Sr., 5-11, South Euclid, Ohio
Ashley Walker, California, F/C, Jr., 6-1, Modesto, Calif.

HONORABLE MENTION (also nominated): Jayne Appel (STAN, So., F/C); Kaela Chapdelaine (ORE, Sr., G); Sybil Dosty (ASU, Jr., C); Nina Earl (UCLA, Fr., F); Mercedes Fox-Griffin (OSU, Jr., G); Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (STAN, So., G); Jillian Harmon (STAN, Jr., F); Allison Jaskowiak (USC, Sr., G/F); Darxia Morris (UCLA, Fr., G); Heather Oliver (USC, So., G); Reagan Pariseau (ASU, Sr., G); Natasha Vital (CAL, So., G); Ashley Whisonant (ARIZ, Sr., G); Sami Whitcomb (WASH, So., G); Candice Wiggins (STAN, Sr., G).

PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CANDICE WIGGINS, G, STANFORD
Wiggins becomes the first player in Conference history to receive Pac-10 Player of the Year honors three times in her career. Named to the preseason All-Conference team, Wiggins entered her senior season with All-America accolades from Kodak, the Wooden Award, AP, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated. A State Farm Wade Trophy preseason candidate, as well as a Wooden Award Midseason Top-20 honoree, Wiggins lived up to the hype this season. Not only did she become Stanford's all-time leading scorer, she also made her way to the top spot on the Conference career charts. In the Cardinal's last 2007-08 regular-season game, she bested Lisa Leslie's Pac-10 record of 2,414 career points. Wiggins has 14 20-point and two 30-point contests to her name this season. With the scoring record attained, Wiggins now chases the all-time Conference record for three-pointers made (285); she currently is short by 15. For the Cardinal, Wiggins holds the top spot in the program's record book not only for scoring (18.9 ppg) and made three-pointers, but also for free-throws (512) and attempted three-pointers (689). Her 83.3 percent success rate from the free-throw line sits her fourth-best in Cardinal history. Wiggins' 258 career steals puts her third on Stanford's all-time list. Currently 14th in the nation with a 19.4 points per game average, Wiggins leads the Pac-10 in scoring, ranks second in steals (2.03), 10th in assists (3.00) and third in three-point field goals made (2.07). Among active career leaders, she also paces the Conference in assists (406) and steals. A four-time Pac-10 Player of the Week this season (nine career), Wiggins was named USA Basketball's 2007 Female Athlete of the Year for her role on four separate USA Basketball teams that earned three gold medals and a flawless 23-0 record in 2007. She was the first Stanford women's basketball player to ever earn the honor.

PAC-10 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
KAYLA PEDERSEN, F, STANFORD
Pedersen becomes the third Cardinal in four years and seventh all-time to nab Pac-10 Freshman of the Year accolades. The Fountain Hills, Ariz., native made an impressive transition to the college game. She finishes the regular season third in the Conference in rebounding (8.2 rpg), sixth in field goal percentage (.497), ninth in free-throw percentage (.726) and scoring (12.6 ppg). Seven times this season, Pedersen recorded a double-double and on five occasions, she amassed 20 or more points in a game, including a career-high 28 points against UCLA. All told, the freshman scored in double figures in 19 games, including a streak of five consecutive. Pedersen led or co-led the Cardinal in scoring on four occasions this season, and rebounding 12 times. Her nine double-figure rebounding games is second-best on the Stanford team, only one game shy of the team leader. Pedersen's alma mater, Red Mountain High, retired her No. 14 jersey to the rafters in testament to a career which saw her named Gatorade Player of the Year in two different seasons. In addition, Pedersen spent time last summer with the Under-19 USA Basketball squad after she contributed to the Under-18 squad that captured the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.

PAC-10 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BRIANN JANUARY, G, ARIZONA STATE
January becomes the first-ever recipient of the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honor. Known for her defensive tenacity and ability to shut down scorers, January averages 2.38 steals per game to lead the Conference with 69 total to date. She is the third-best active Conference player in career steals (189) and needs just one more theft to elevate her to sixth on ASU's all-time list in the category; 10 more steals would give her fifth place honors. A force behind Arizona State's impressive 2007-08 campaign, January also leads the Pac-10 in free throw percentage (.866), places second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71) and is third in assists (4.66 apg). Currently with 361 career assists to her name, January sits fourth on the Pac-10's active career leader list for assists. The junior from Spokane, Wash., holds the second-highest scoring average for the Sun Devils and is 16th in the Pac-10 with 11.0 points per game, despite only averaging 28 minutes per game. This season, January, who was a preseason All-Pac-10 selection, has scored in double-digits on 18 occasions, including a 22-point performance against Texas that tied her career best. After resting an injured knee for a week, January came off the bench at Arizona to lead ASU with 19 points, connected on all seven of her field goal and two free-throw attempts, and added five assists, one block and one steal.

PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR
TARA VANDERVEER, STANFORD
Stanford women's basketball has become synonymous with success and much of the credit goes to VanDerveer, who has established herself as one of the top coaches in the history of both collegiate and international women's basketball. VanDerveer, inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2002, has accumulated an impressive 716-187 (.793) record in her 28-plus years of collegiate coaching. Currently in her 22nd year at the helm of the Cardinal, she owns a 564-136 (.806) record and boasts two national championships, five NCAA Final Four berths, 20 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and 17 Conference titles. Finishing this season with a 15-game winning streak, the Cardinal picked up their eighth-straight regular-season Pac-10 championship (and No. 1 seed in the Pac-10 Tournament) with a win against Washington State Sunday. As a team, VanDerveer's 2007-08 line-up leads the Pac-10 and is in the National Top-50 in several categories through all regular season games: assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28, 5th), scoring margin (+18.6, 5th), scoring offense (75.2, 13th), field goal percentage (46.2 percent, 16th), blocks per game (5.0 per game, 19th), and turnover margin (+3.47). Stanford also sits second in the Conference in assists per game (17.07, 12th), rebounding margin (+6.7, 20th), field goal percentage defense (36.0 percent, 18th) and free-throw percentage (70.8). On Dec. 28, VanDerveer became just the seventh Division I women's basketball coach to reach 700 career wins, as Stanford defeated Washington State. VanDerveer is a three-time National Coach of the Year and District 8 Coach of the Year, and now a nine-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

ALL-PAC-10 TEAM MEMBERS (alphabetical)

APPEL anchors the Cardinal in the paint this season, averaging 8.6 rebounds and 14.4 points per game. The 2006-07 Freshman of the Year has eclipsed her own single-season blocks record at Stanford as she has already tallied 67 swats this year. The center was selected Pac-10 Player of the Week twice this season and has posted eight double-doubles.

FLORENCE is twice honored for her play this season, both as a first-time member of the All-Pac-10 third team and a member of the first-ever All-Defensive team. The senior guard paces the Huskies with 6.5 rebounds and 3.67 assists per game. She adds an average of 1.77 steals per game, which ranks seventh in the Conference.

FOX-GRIFFIN is known for her passing skills. The junior guard tallies 4.85 assists per game, leading Oregon State for the second season, and just trailing the Conference leader (4.86). Fox-Griffin, who plays over 36 minutes a contest, boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.51. She scored a season-high 15 points at USC in January.

GRAY-LAWSON earns her first All-Pac-10 nod after returning from a season-ending ACL injury in 2006-07. The redshirt sophomore, who was the 2005-06 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, is averaging 11.9 points per game and successfully converting over 40 percent of her three-point attempts. The guard poured in a season-high 25 points in Cal's victory over Kansas December 21.

HAMPTON is a three-time All-Pac-10 honoree, having been named to the All-Pac-10 team as a freshman in 2005-06. The 2006-07 Pac-10 Player of the Year, Hampton is averaging 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Golden Bears. The junior, who missed the first eight games of the season because of injury, has come on strong at the end of the Conference regular season with five double-doubles in the last eight games.

JANUARY provides a balanced attack as point guard for the Sun Devils, contributing both as a scorer and passer. The junior averages 11 points per game and dishes out 4.6 assists. Her assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71) ranks No. 3 in the league and her 86.6 free-throw percentage leads the Conference. January was an All-Conference honorable mention selection in 2006-07 and an all-freshman team member in 2005-06.

LACEY is Arizona State's leading scorer with 12.9 points per game in her first season of Pac-10 competition. The junior, who transferred from Minnesota, has scored in double figures in 22 of the 29 games on the year. The forward was named Pac-10 Player of the Week after she poured in 25 points in a win over Washington at Wells Fargo Arena.

LENOIR takes All-Pac-10 third team honors after teaming with fellow junior Nadia Parker to lead USC to a 17-12 record. The guard averages 10.9 points per game, including 21 points in games against Conference leaders Stanford and California. She leads the Trojans in assists (4.07 per game) and steals (1.96 per game) for a 1.62 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks No. 4 in the league.

LILLEY is a three-point scoring threat for Oregon, hitting a league-leading 2.34 shots from behind the arc per game this year. The first-time All-Pac-10 third team selection led the Ducks in scoring (12.1 points per game) and steals (1.4 per game). The sophomore amassed a season-high 24 points in Oregon's win over Tulsa in December.

PARKER is a steady leader for USC averaging 12.1 points per game, shooting 56.5 percent from the field. The junior center makes her presence known in the paint with 6.5 rebounds and 1.43 blocked shots per contest. The first-time All-Pac-10 second team selection was named Pac-10 Player of the Week after helping the Trojans past Virginia Tech with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

PEDERSEN joins distinguished company as the 11th player in league history to be named all-Conference as a freshman and the third Cardinal to impress the coaches in her initial campaign. Nicole Powell (2000-01) and Wiggins (2004-05) both earned the distinction and went on to earn All-Pac-10 honors four times.

PLUIMER leads the Bruin scoring attack with 14.5 points per game and leads the team with 6.5 boards per game. The senior, who has started every game while at UCLA, is only the fifth player in UCLA history to total at least 1,400 points, 700 rebounds and 75 blocked shots a career. Pluimer was selected Pac-10 Player of the Week on Feb. 11.

WALKER earns her second All-Pac-10 honor after dominating in the paint for California, helping the Bears to their best-ever season record and highest Pac-10 finish (second place). She leads the team and ranks second in the Conference in scoring with a 15.6 points per game average. Walker paces the Pac-10 in rebounding (9.5 rebounds per game) and is hitting over 50 percent of her shots from the field. The junior leads the Conference with 12 double-doubles and poured in her season-high 31 points against Fresno State in November.

WHISONANT makes her first appearance on the All-Pac-10 team in her senior season after leading the Arizona Wildcats in points (15.4) and steals (1.76). She lead the Conference with 4.86 assists per game. The guard dropped in a season-high 32 points in a overtime loss at Oregon State on January 3.

WIGGINS becomes only the fifth player in Pac-10 history to earn All-Pac-10 honors four times. The only other Stanford player to achieve the four-time distinction was Nicole Powell (2001-04). Wiggins is the only player to be named Player of the Year three times.

PAC-10 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

CAMPBELL stands out in the Pac-10 in several categories, averaging a 1.60 assist-to-turnover ratio (6th), 3.43 assists (8th), 1.57 steals (11th), 4.4 rebounds (19th), and 8.6 points in 28 starts for the Bruins. Twelve times this season Campbell scored in double figures, twice leading UCLA in scoring. With 96 assists on the year, the guard leads the Bruins and currently ranks seventh on the all-time UCLA freshman Top-10 list.

IBEKWE closed the regular season with two consecutive double-doubles and six total. She leads the Wildcats with 28 blocks on the season, 7.9 rebounds per game, and 10.6 points per game. Ibekwe sits fourth in the Conference in rebounding, fifth in blocked shots (1.22 bpg), ninth with a 4.81 field goal percentage, and 18th in scoring.

PEDERSEN closes her inaugural collegiate season as the leading freshman scorer in the Pac-10, averaging 12.6 points per game, ranking her ninth among all league players. Her 247 rebounds on the season (8.2 per game) make her one of just four Pac-10 players to bring down more than 200 boards.

REDMON averages 11.7 points per contest, ranking 14th in the Pac-10 and pacing Washington. She has a team-high 19 double-figure scoring efforts including a string of nine-straight from Nov. 17 through Dec. 21. Redmon has scored at least 17 points six times, including a season-high 20 points on two occasions.

RHEA completes the regular season with the second-most three-pointers in the Conference (64, 2.21 per game) and the third-best three-point field goal percentage (.381). She averaged 10.3 points per game, 19th in the Pac-10. Named Pac-10 Player of the Week on Jan. 21, Rhea averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in victories over Washington and Washington State.

PAC-10 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

FLORENCE is named to the first-ever All-Defensive squad after giving Washington 1.77 steals per game and a team-leading average of 6.5 rebounds per game. The senior also earns her first-ever All-Pac-10 third team selection.

HENDERSON forces 1.97 steals per game for the Bruins to rank fourth in the Conference. The junior guard averages 7.8 points per game and earns her first Conference honor as a member of the All-Defensive team.

JANUARY earns Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the Conference in steals with 2.38 per game during the 2007-08 campaign. The junior needs just one more steal to move to No. 5 on Arizona State's all-time steals list. The guard boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.71, which ranks second in league statistics.

JELKS has been a reliable defensive force for USC despite being plagued by injuries throughout her career. The senior forward takes her first all-Conference recognition as a member of the All-Defensive team after averaging 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

WALKER leads the Conference in rebounds, averaging 5.38 defensive and 4.10 offensive boards per game. The junior forward averages 1.52 blocks per game for California, earning both All-Pac-10 and All-Defensive team honors.