Aug. 20, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion basketball senior Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio), a first team All-Big Ten selection last season, is among the 31 preseason candidates for the 2009-10 Women's John R. Wooden Award. The list is comprised of 31 student athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
Grant became the 10th player in Penn State history to earn first team All-Big Ten honors after she finished second in the conference and 18th in the country in scoring (19.6 ppg) a year ago. The senior guard became just the 14th junior in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark when she accomplished the feat against Florida State. Grant will have a chance to become the fourth player in school history to reach 2,000 tallies as she enters her final season needing 553 points to reach the milestone. She currently ranks 13th in school history with 1,447 points.
Grant, who was invited to USA Basketball Trials for the World University Games, registered 15 games with 20 or more points a year ago, including a pair of 30-plus scoring performances. The three-time All-Big Ten choice finished in the Top 10 in the Big Ten Conference in free throw percentage (10th; .764), three-point field goal percentage (t-7th; .367) and three-pointers made (5th; 1.9). Grant, a semifinalist for the 2008-09 Naismith Award, set personal marks for points, field goals (201), three-pointers, free throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage, rebounds (130) and steals (43).
The Big Ten has the most preseason candidates of any conference with five.
The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 9-11, 2010.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. The women's category was added in 2004. The Award 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. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Alana Beard ('06) and Blake Griffin ('09). Candace Parker won the Women's Wooden Award in 2007 and 2008.
Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY or 814-863-1000. Season tickets are $117 for adults, $52 for youth and $91 for seniors. Penn State fans that attend the Indiana football game can use their football ticket to receive buy one ticket, get one free ticket for the Lady Lions' game against NJIT on Sat., Nov. 15.
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