Stringer, Pondexter Earn WBCA Accolades
Mar 14 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer has been named the Region 1 Coach of the Year, and fifth-year senior Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) has been selected to the All-Region 1 Team, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced March 14. Stringer and Pondexter are now finalists for the WBCA’s national coach-of-the-year and All-America awards, respectively.
Stringer led Rutgers to a 24-3 regular-season record and a 16-0 mark in BIG EAST Conference play as RU won its second straight outright BIG EAST regular-season title. Rutgers became just the third school in league history to post a perfect record (first time for RU as a member of the BIG EAST), and earned a regular-season sweep of Connecticut, the first opponent to do so against the Huskies since 1992-93. The Scarlet Knights have remained in the top 10 in both national polls every week this season as RU posted its fourth straight 20-win season, and eighth in the last nine years. No. 9/9 Rutgers (25-4) earned its fourth straight bid to the NCAA Tournament, and eighth invitation in the last nine years, as the third seed in the Cleveland Region and will begin play March 19 in Trenton against Dartmouth. Stringer enters the NCAA Tournament needing two victories to become the third women’s Division I coach to win 750 career games (748-250).
Stringer was once before named the WBCA Region 1 Coach of the Year, earning the distinction in 1998. She will be joined on the national coach-of-the-year ballot by Sylvia Hatchell (North Carolina), OPat Summitt (Tennessee), Curt Miller (Bowling Green), Sherri Coale (Oklahoma), Jim Wiedie (Indiana State), Don Flanagan (New Mexico) and Charli Thorne (Arizona State).
Pondexter, who also has been named a finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy (player of the year) and the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, as well as one of 11 nominees for the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard), a member of the national ballot for the Women’s Wooden Award (national player of the year) and a mid-season candidate for the Naismith National Player-of-the-Year Award, is tied for sixth (March 13) nationally with 21.5 points per contest, adding 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game this season. Named the WBCA National Player of the Month for January, the 5-9 guard was the unanimous choice as the BIG EAST Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team four times during her career. 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.
Pondexter has been named to the WBCA All-Region 1 Team each of her four seasons “On the Banks.” She was joined on this year’s regional team by five other seniors – Megan Duffy (Notre Dame), Candice Dupree (Temple), Khara Smith (DePaul), Ann Strother (Connecticut) and Barbara Turner (Connecticut).
