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ATLANTA, GA (October 15, 2001) -- Four University of Connecticut
women’s basketball student-athletes were named as 2001-02 Naismith
Award Pre-Season Candidates, announced Monday by the Atlanta Tipoff
Club. Senior guard Sue Bird (Syosset, NY) was the leading vote-receiver,
followed by Chantelle Anderson of Vanderbilt and LaToya Thomas of
Mississippi State.
Bird, a two-time recipient of the Nancy Lieberman-Cline National
Point Guard of the Year Award, averaged 10.9 points and 5.0 assists
per game last season. Her 169 assists from 2000-01 rank third on
UConn’s all-time season assists chart. For her career, Bird
is registering 10.4 points, 4.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Joining Bird on the list of pre-season Naismith Award candidates
are senior forward Swin Cash (McKeesport, PA), senior forward Tamika
Williams (Dayton, OH) and sophomore guard Diana Taurasi (Chino,
CA). Cash is UConn’s top returning scorer and rebounder, having
averaged 12.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 2000-01. Williams,
who ranks 17th on Connecticut’s career points list with 1,049,
recorded 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season. The 2001
BIG EAST Tournament and NCAA Tournament East Region Most Outstanding
Player, Taurasi averaged 10.9 points per game and was second in
the BIG EAST in three-pointers (71) during her freshman campaign
last season.
Connecticut was the only school to have four selections on the pre-season
Naismith Award candidate list. Tennessee and Louisiana Tech were
represented by three selections while Oklahoma and Baylor also had
multiple candidates.
The Naismith Awards program is in its 34th year. Rebecca Lobo is
UConn’s only recipient of the Naismith Player of the Year Award,
having garnered the accolade after Connecticut’s 35-0 National
Championship season in 1995.
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