Maryland and Rutgers Honor Harper, Pondexter

Laura Harper (Right)

 (Photo courtesy of FIBAEurope.com)

Pondexter, Harper Honored with Retired Jerseys

22 December 2008

Cappie Pondexter, a former Rutgers University standout, will attend a ceremony in her honor at College Avenue Gymnasium, known to the RU community as "The Barn.", where her collegiate jersey will be retired.  

While at RU, Pondexter wracked up a number of accolades including Big East Player of the Year (2006), AP All-America first team (2006), Big East Rookie of the Year (2003).  Pondexter became the first player in Big East history to earn a spot on the All-Big East first team all four years and was a four-time Big East All-Tournament Team honoree.  During her tenure with the Scarlet Knights, her team posted a 97-22 (.815) record, won two conference championships, and competed in four NCAA Tournaments, which included a trip to the 2005 Elite Eight. 

Following her four seasons at RU, Cappie has had a successful professional campaign, appearing in two WNBA All-Star games, winning a WNBA Championship, WNBA Finals MVP, and an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  Pondexter is in the midst of her season with UMMC Ekaterinburg, averaging 4.7 assists and 11.5 points per game.   

Laura Harper, a 2008 University of Maryland graduate, will also be honored with a retired jersey in early 2009.  Harper helped lead the Terps to win 117 games and post an 89.2 winning percentage. As a senior, Harper averaged 14.1 points and 18.5 rebounds per game. In addition to tallying 873 boards, fourth all-time at Maryland, Harper netted 1,407 career points.

During her collegiate career, Harper's team advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four seasons, including the 2006 National Championship where Harper was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.  Harpers honors include Third Team All-ACC (2008) and Naismith Award Finalist (2007). 

Much like Pondexter, Harper has competed in the USA Basketball system, collecting a gold medal at the 2007 FIBA U21 World Championship.  Harper was selected by the Monarchs in the first round of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Monarchs and is currently leading Besiktas Cola Turka in scoring with 18 points and 12 rebounds per game.

AP Photo: A.J. Olmscheid

Anosike Finalist for Woman of the Year

October 10, 2008

Former Lady Vol, Nicky Anosike (Minnesota Lynx) is one of nine finalists for the 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year award.  The Woman of the Year honor is awarded to student-athletes who have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and community service.

Anosike is the one of only four Lady Vols in history to tally 600+ points, 500+ rebounds, 100+ blocks, 100+ steals and 125+ assists over her career.  She was named NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team (2007), SEC All-Academic Team (2007, 2006),  All-SEC Freshman Team (2005), and SEC All-Academic Freshman Team (2005). 

When she wasn’t dominating the hardwood, Anosike immersed herself the in community service. She was highly involved in Campus Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and Lady Vol Fund Run.  She also served as team captain in her final season, helping to lead UT to an NCAA Championship.

In her personal statement to the NCAA, Anosike expressed her interpretation of leadership, “...Some of our most effective leaders are not in the spotlight but lead by example through hard work and dedication. This assertion reflects who I am and what I hope to become.”

Anosike triple majored in political science, legal studies, and sociology at UT and was a second-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American.  She also was awarded the Boyd McWhorter Postgraduate Scholarship in 2008. 

*The 2008 Woman of the Year will be announced at an awards dinner on October 19, 2008.  An hour-long broadcast of the event will air on ESPN2 December 5 at 4:30 p.m.

Whalen Delivers in 2008

9 October, 2008

Following the 2008 WNBA regular season, Lindsay Whalen of The Connecticut Sun was named a 2008 WNBA Peak Performer along with two other high-profile WNBA standouts.  “Peak Performers” are awarded annually for leading the league in scoring, rebounding and assists during the regular season.  Whalen set Connecticut’s all-time franchise assist record in 2008 with 166 on the season.  Whalen averaged 14.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game and is the second player in league history to average 10+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists for a season.