Jan. 30, 2009
Official Release
Wooden Award Web site
LOS ANGELES - The 20 top candidates for the Women's John R. Wooden Award, given to the best Division I player in the nation, were named by The Los Angeles Athletic Club's Women's Wooden Award Committee Friday and Illinois State senior guard Kristi Cirone is among the prestigious group. The midseason list is based on individual player performance and team records during the first half of the season.
Cirone has led the Redbirds to a 15-4 record, including a 6-1 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. She leads the Redbirds in scoring (18.7 ppg), three-pointers (39), three-point field goal percentage (.459), free throws (71), assists (114), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33) and steals (44).
A three-time MVC Player of the Week and four-time Prairie Farms Scholar-Athlete of the Week, Cirone ranks in the top-50 in the nation in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, assists per game and assists-to-turnover ratio. She was already added to the State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List a week ago and received honorable mention recognition for the WBCA Player of the Month Award for December.
This season, she became ISU's all-time leader in assists and moved into second place in scoring and three-pointers.
The Big East Conference leads the midseason list with the most players (6) chosen to the Wooden Award Midseason List , followed by the ACC with four, the Big 12 with three, the Pac-10 with two and the Big Ten, SEC, Missouri Valley, Metro Atlantic and Sunbelt are represented with one candidate.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It 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. The committee has been presenting the award and All-America team to women since 2004. Last year's winners were Tennessee's Candace Parker and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina.
More than 300 voters, comprised of sports media members and women's college basketball experts from across the nation, will cast their votes for the five-member All-American team and Wooden Award honor as the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player in the nation. Players who do not make the midseason list are still eligible for the national ballot released in March. The National Ballot will consist of approximately 15 players.
The 2009 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners and the Legends of Coaching Award to Rick Barnes of the University of Texas, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of April 12-13.
