Harris and Phillips Named to 2010-2011 "Wade Watch"

Aug. 4, 2010

ATLANTA – Xavier University women’s basketball stars Amber Harris and Ta’Shia Phillips have been selected to the 2010-11 preseason Wade Watch for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year as announced by The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), on behalf of the Wade Coalition on Wednesday, August 4.  The 25-member list is made up of top NCAA Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

Xavier is one of four institutions to be represented with multiple student-athletes on the list.  Tennessee, Connecticut, Stanford and Ohio State are the others.

The BIG EAST and SEC each have four student-athletes on the list, followed by the ACC (3), Big Ten (3), Big 12 (3), Atlantic-10 (2), Colonial Athletic (2), Pac-10 (2), Sun Belt (1) and West Coast (1).

Phillips is making her second appearance on the Wade Watch and is one of only nine student-athletes with multiple appearances.

The only two-time winners of The State Farm Wade Trophy include Connecticut’s Maya Moore (2009 and 2010), Louisiana State's Seimone Augustus (2005 and 2006) and Old Dominion's Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1980).

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 34th year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. This highly prestigious award, regarded as the "Heisman of Women's Basketball," is organized by the WBCA, in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).

The 2011 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

2010-2011 State Farm Wade Trophy Preseason List
The preseason candidates for The State Farm Wade Trophy are listed in alphabetical order:

Name	Year	Position	Institution
Danielle Adams	Senior	Center	Texas A&M University
Kachine Alexander	Senior	Guard	University of Iowa
Angie Bjorklund	Senior	Guard	University of Tennessee
Kelley Cain	Junior	Center	University of Tennessee
Elena Delle Donne	Sophomore	Forward	University of Delaware
Skylar Diggins	Sophomore	Guard	University of Notre Dame
Victoria Dunlap	Senior	Forward	University of Kentucky
Dawn Evans	Senior	Guard	James Madison University
Brittney Griner	Sophomore	Center	Baylor University
Amber Harris	Senior	Forward	Xavier University
Tiffany Hayes	Junior	Guard	University Of Connecticut
Shenise Johnson	Junior	Guard	University of Miami
Jantel Lavender	Senior	Center	Ohio State University
Maya Moore	Senior	Forward	University Of Connecticut
Nnemkadi Ogwumike	Junior	Forward	Stanford University
Kayla Pedersen	Senior	Forward	Stanford University
Ta'Shia Phillips	Senior	Center	Xavier University
Samantha Prahalis	Junior	Guard	Ohio State University
Chastity Reed	Senior	Forward	Univ. of Arkansas - Little Rock
Danielle Robinson	Senior	Guard	University of Oklahoma
Sugar Rodgers	Sophomore	Guard	Georgetown University
Shekinna Stricklen	Junior	Guard	University of Tennessee
Carolyn Swords	Senior	Center	Boston College
Jasmine Thomas	Senior	Guard	Duke University
Courtney Vandersloot	Senior	Guard	Gonzaga University

The Wade Trophy Coalition was established in June of 2000 when the WBCA partnered with The National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). For the past nine years the two have worked together to present The State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year Award. A committee comprised of coaches, administration and media from across the United States selects the winner.

About State Farm®
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and more than 67,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – almost 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®. 

About the NAGWS
The National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) was established to develop and deliver equitable and quality sport opportunities for ALL girls and women through relevant research, advocacy, leadership development, educational strategies, and programming in a manner that promotes social justice and change.

About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.

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