ST. LOUIS -- University of Connecticut guard Diana Taurasi and Huskies coach
Geno Auriemma have been named national player and coach of the year,
respectively, by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). LSU's
Seimone Augustus was chosen as the USBWA's freshman of the year.
Taurasi, a 6-foot-0 junior from Chino, Calif., outpolled Duke's Alana Beard
for national player of the year, and the two were the top-vote getters for the
USBWA's 10-player All-American team. Auriemma guided the Huskies to a 31-1
record and a No. 1 ranking in national polls despite losing four starters from
last season's 39-0 NCAA championship team. Augustus, a 6-foot-1 freshman from
Baton Rouge, La., was the leading scorer for LSU, which won the SEC tournament
and enters the NCAA tournament ranked No. 3 nationally.
Beard, the two-time ACC player of the year, has led Duke to a No. 2 national
ranking and a 31-1 record. She is one of five repeat winners from last season's
USBWA All-American team. Also selected again by USBWA members are Mississippi
State forward LaToya Thomas, Vanderbilt center Chantelle Anderson, Penn State
guard Kelly Mazzante and Minnesota guard Lindsay Whalen.
Taurasi is making her USBWA All-American debut, as are Tennessee guard Kara
Lawson, South Carolina forward Jocelyn Penn and center Nicole Ohlde and forward
Kendra Wecker, both of Kansas State.
Auriemma was the USBWA's 1995 national coach of the year, when UConn won its
first NCAA title. He is the only coach to win the award more than once.
The USBWA is the largest sportswriters organization in the country, comprised
of nearly 1,000 members. Formed in 1956, it began honoring women players in
1988. Previous national player of the year winners include Dawn Staley of
Virginia, Sheryl Swoopes of Texas Tech, Lisa Leslie of USC, Rebecca Lobo of
Connecticut and Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee.
The first USBWA women's national coach of the year was Tara VanDerveer of
Stanford in 1990. Other winners include Debbie Ryan of Virginia, Leon Barmore of
Louisiana Tech, Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Carolyn Peck of Purdue.
USBWA ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt
Alana Beard, Duke
Kara Lawson, Tennessee
Kelly Mazzante, Penn State
Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State
Jocelyn Penn, South Carolina
Diana Taurasi, Connecticut
LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State
Kendra Wecker, Kansas State
Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Diana Taurasi, Connecticut
COACH OF THE YEAR: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Seimone Augustus, LSU
