Nicole Michael Named John R. Wooden Award Preseason Candidate
8/20/2009 4:57:30 PM | Women's Basketball
SYRACUSE – Syracuse University women's basketball senior forward Nicole Michael has been named as one of the 31 candidates for the prestigious Wooden Award, announced Wooden Award Chairman and founder Richard “Duke” Llewellyn Thursday. Michael is the first player in Syracuse women's basketball history to be honored as a preseason nominee.
“It is a great honor and I am extremely excited,” Michael said. “Being named a Wooden Award Preseason Candidate only makes me want to work harder. I want to thank my coaches and teammates and I look forward to my senior year.”
Michael has had a storied career with the Orange as she is only the third SU player to earn BIG EAST honors in three straight seasons. The Queens, N.Y. native has been named to the BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team each of her three seasons.
Her 1,286 career points are only 319 short of the Syracuse career record and her 723 rebounds are 204 shy of the top spot. Michael currently sits sixth on both lists. Her 344 free throws made rank second and her career average of 14.4 points per game ranks third. Michael is also fourth in career rebounding average (8.1) and ninth on SU's blocked shots chart (73).
“I am very proud of Nicole (Michael). She has worked very hard during her time at Syracuse and it is nice to see her rewarded for her efforts,” said head coach Quentin Hillsman. “I look forward to the 2009-10 season.”
The list contains 31 players, not the traditional 30, because the playing status of North Carolina's Jessica Breland is uncertain due to a possible medical redshirt year. Transfers, freshmen and 2009 medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason list. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for December's midseason list and the official ballot released in March.
The breadth of talent across the country is shown by the record number of NCAA Division I conferences (12) highlighted on the list. The Big 10 conference has five candidates, followed by the BIG EAST, ACC, Big 12 and Pac-10 with four apiece, the SEC (3), West Coast (2), America East (1), Atlantic 10 (1), CAA (1), Mountain West (1) and Sun Belt (1).
In late December, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 20 list, followed in March by the National Ballot, consisting of approximately 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Women's Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round during the NCAA Tournament.
The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 9-11, 2010.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. The women's category was added in 2004. The Award is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Alana Beard ('06) and Blake Griffin ('09). Candace Parker won the Women's Wooden Award in 2007 and 2008.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All-American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award's name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host a day-long basketball tournament. The tournament brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All-Americans in a setting that exemplifies the spirit of competition.
Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com.
