Baylor center Brittney Griner headlines 2012-13 preseason “Wade Watch List”

From the WBCA:

Baylor center Brittney Griner, the 2012 State Farm Wade Trophy winner, headlines the 2012-13 preseason “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the prestigious award, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

Connecticut leads all schools with three players on the 25-member preseason list. Five schools – defending national champion Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Nebraska and Penn State – are represented by two players each.

Now in its 36th year, the State Farm Wade Trophy is named in honor of the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. Regarded as “The Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” the award is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Player of the Year by the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) and the WBCA.

The preseason list is composed of top NCAA Division I women’s basketball players who best embody Wade’s spirit from 18 institutions and eight conferences. A committee of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States compiled the list using the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins, Delaware’s Elena Della Donne and Georgetown’s Sugar Rodgers join Griner on the preseason list for the third straight year. Alex Bentley of Penn State, Carolyn Davis of Kansas, Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley of Connecticut, Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford and Odyssey Sims of Baylor are making their second appearance on the list.

The BIG EAST Conference placed seven players on the preseason list, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences with five each, the Atlantic Coast Conference with three, the Southeastern Conference with two, and the Colonial Athletic Association and Ohio Valley and Pac-12 conferences with one each.

Here is the complete list of preseason candidates for the 2013 State Farm Wade Trophy in alphabetical order:

	Player	Institution	Position	Year
	Alex Bentley	Penn State	Guard	Senior
	Heather Butler	UT Martin	Guard	Junior
	Carolyn Davis	Kansas	Forward	Senior
	Elena Delle Donne	Delaware	Forward	Senior
	Skylar Diggins	Notre Dame	Guard	Senior
	Stefanie Dolson	Connecticut	Center	Junior
	Christina Foggie	Vanderbilt	Guard	Junior
	Chassidy Fussell	Texas	Guard	Junior
	Angel Goodrich	Kansas	Guard	Senior
	Chelsea Gray	Duke	Guard	Junior
	Brittney Griner	Baylor	Center	Senior
	Bria Hartley	Connecticut	Guard	Junior
	Tayler Hill	Ohio State	Guard	Senior
	Jordan Hooper	Nebraska	Forward	Junior
	Maggie Lucas	Penn State	Guard	Junior
	Anna Martin	DePaul	Guard	Senior
	A’dia Mathies	Kentucky	Guard	Senior
	Lindsey Moore	Nebraska	Guard	Senior
	Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis	Connecticut	Forward	Sophomore
	Chiney Ogwumike	Stanford	Forward	Junior
	Sugar Rodgers	Georgetown	Guard	Senior
	Shoni Schimmel	Louisville	Guard	Junior
	Odyssey Sims	Baylor	Guard	Junior
	Alyssa Thomas	Maryland	Guard	Junior
	Elizabeth Williams	Duke	Center	Sophomore