Rutgers' Pondexter Named to USA World University Games Team
Aug 01 | Women's Basketball
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Rutgers' Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) will represent the U.S. in international competition for the fifth time when she suits up for the Red, White and Blue at the 2005 World University Games Aug. 10-19 in Izmir, Turkey.
Pondexter was officially named one of the 12 members of the 2005 USA Basketball World University Games Team following sessions at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. The team will continue practicing in Colorado Springs until Aug. 4, then travel to Izmir for four additional training days before starting play at the World University Games Aug. 10.
Pondexter, who will be a fifth-year senior on the Scarlet Knight squad this fall, spent four straight summers (2000-2003) with the USA Basketball program as a member of the U.S. 20-and-Under National Team. She led the Americans to the gold medal at the 2003 FIBA World Championship For Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia, serving as the team co-captain and the starting point guard while averaging 5.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Pondexter won a gold medal at the 2002 World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Tournament in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, posting a tournament-best 6.5 assists-per-game average as the starting point guard and a team co-captain.
She tallied 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game and shot 51.9 (14-27) percent from the field and 62.5 (5-8) percent from three-point range at the 2002 qualifying tournament. As a member of the 2001 U.S. Junior National Team, the 5-9 guard won a bronze medal at the FIBA World Junior Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, and she also was a member of the 2000 U.S. Junior World Championship Qualifying Team that struck gold in Mardelplata, Argentina.
Pondexter was a candidate for three 2005 national player-of-the-year awards (Naismith, State Farm Wade Trophy, Wooden Women's Award) as well as the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard) and Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award. Pondexter also was named to the 2004-2005 Associated Press (honorable mention), Full Court Press (third team) and Kodak/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (honorable mention) All-America Teams, the Kodak/ WBCA All-Region 1 Team, the BIG EAST All-First Team and the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team, and was the NCAA Tournament Philadelphia Region's Most Outstanding Player. She averaged 14.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season, posting 19 double-digit scoring efforts (seven 20+ points) in 27 appearances.
Pondexter is one of two Scarlet Knights to play for USA Basketball this summer. Rising sophomore Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ) just returned from Tunisia, where she won a gold medal at the 2005 FIBA Under-19 World Championship July 24.
2005 USA Basketball World University Games Roster
Seimone Augustus, LSU
Monique Currie, Duke
Jessica Davenport, Ohio State
Megan Duffy, Notre Dame
Candice Dupree, Temple
Sylvia Fowles, LSU
Erin Grant, Texas Tech
Brandie Hoskins, Ohio State
Cappie Pondexter, Rutgers
Liz Shimek, Michigan State
Brooke Smith, Stanford
Lisa Willis, UCLA
