Pondexter Finalist for Honda Sports Award
Apr 10 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Rutgers fifth-year senior Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) has been named one of four finalists for the Honda Sports Award for basketball, presented by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.
The 2006 Women’s Basketball News Service National Player of the Year, Pondexter was a finalist for all three major national player-of-the-year awards (State Farm Wade Trophy, Naismith and Women’s Wooden Award), the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award and the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard). She averaged 21.6 points per contest (sixth nationally), adding 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game this season. Named to the Kodak/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America First Team, the Associated Press All-America First Team, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-America Team, the Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team, the Women’s Wooden Award All-America Team, the Gballmag.com All-America First Team and the ESPN.com All-America First Team, the WBCA National Player of the Month for January 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 5-9 guard was selected to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team for the fourth straight year (22.5 ppg) and earned a spot on the NCAA Tournament All-Cleveland Region Team (22.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.3 apg). She was the second overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft (Phoenix Mercury), and is currently competing with the USA Basketball Senior National Team at the Opals World Challenge in Australia.
The other finalists are Seimone Augustus (LSU), Ivory Latta (North Carolina) and Sophia Young (Baylor). The winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball will be eligible for the Honda-Broderick Cup, given to the nation’s top female college student-athlete.
NCAA member schools vote to determine the winners of the Honda Awards. In addition to the actual award, the winner’s school will receive a $5,000 donation from American Honda to the women’s athletic fund. Each of the three other finalists’ universities will receive a $1,000 donation.
Pondexter helped lead No. 9/9 Rutgers to a 27-5 overall record, advancing to the regional semifinals of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights posted a perfect 16-0 mark in BIG EAST Conference regular-season play to win their second straight outright BIG EAST regular-season crown.
