Pondexter Named Naismith Mid-Season Candidate
Feb 17 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Rutgers fifth-year senior Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) has been named one of 30 mid-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy, given annually to the national player of the year in women’s basketball.
Pondexter, who also was named a mid-season candidate for the Women’s Wooden Award (player of the year) as well as one of 11 nominees for the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard), ranks second nationally in scoring, averaging 21.6 points per game, adding 4.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals per contest this season. The MVP at the Junkanoo Jam Nov. 25-26 and the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge Dec. 3-4, she has also received four BIG EAST Conference player-of-the-week awards (Jan. 2, Jan. 16, Feb. 6, Feb. 13) and six berths on the BIG EAST Honor Roll (Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Dec. 12, Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Jan. 30). Pondexter was a frequent member of preseason honor lists this fall, earning first-team All-America accolades from the Associated Press and Women’s Basketball News Service, second-team All-America mentions from Gballmag.com, Lindy’s and Athlon Sports, and a spot on the Street & Smith’s “Terrific 10” Preseason All-America Team. Named a candidate for all three 2005-2006 national player-of-the-year awards (Naismith, Wade Trophy, Women’s Wooden Award), Pondexter is the BIG EAST’s Preseason Player of the Year.
No. 7/8 Rutgers (20-3, 12-0 BIG EAST) will look to extend its winning streak to nine games when the Scarlet Knights host Syracuse (9-14, 2-10 BIG EAST) Sunday, Feb. 19. Tipoff at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000) will be at 2:00 p.m.
The game will serve as the BIG EAST TV Game of the Week, and will be shown live on the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Network, Catch 47 (Tampa), Fox College Sports Pacific, Cox Sports (LA, FL, TX) and Cox Sports New England. The game will be carried live on the Rutgers Radio Network (WCTC 1450 AM and WMTR 1250 AM) and on Rutgers’ student station, WRSU 88.7 FM. A live stream of the audio, as well as live statistics, will be available via www.scarletknights.com.
