James Named to Preseason Wade Trophy Watch List
Aug. 17, 2005
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami’s Tamara James was named to the preseason watch list for the 2005-06 State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, announced today by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
The All-America candidate from Dania, Fla. is one of 25 players from around the country selected for the preseason list based on accomplishments on and off the court as decided on by a national awards committee consisting of coaches, journalists and basketball administrators.
The 25 student-athletes named to the “Wade Watch” represented nine Division I Conferences as the Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with seven. The Southeastern Conference came in a close second having four. The Pacific-10, Big East, and Big 12 followed with three each, followed by the Big Ten with two. The Atlantic 10, Conference USA, and Mountain West each have one player represented, respectively.
The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 28th 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 most 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 National Player of the Year preseason accolade marks the second of the year for James, who was named a preseason candidate for the 2005-06 Women’s Wooden Award last week.
James enters her senior campaign at UM ranked fourth all-time in school history in scoring with 1,761 points and third all-time in scoring average (20.0 ppg).
She has led the Hurricanes in scoring in each of her previous three seasons, including last year when she paced both UM and the ACC with a career-best 22.3 points per game on her way to being named an AP and Kodak/WBCA Honorable Mention All-American as well as a First Team All-ACC selection.
In 2004-05, James, who ended the season ranked fourth in the NCAA in scoring, was the only player in the ACC to score in double-figures in every game and recorded more 30-point (5) and 20-point (17) games than any other player in the conference.
The 2006 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced during the WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Boston, Mass., March 31-April 4, 2006.
