Aug. 23, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion junior point guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) is among the 25 players named to the "Wade Watch" list for the 2012 State Farm® Wade Trophy, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today. Bentley is one of two Big Ten players (Iowa's Jamie Printy) on the "Wade Watch" list.
Bentley was instrumental in helping the Lady Lions return NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 with a 25-10 record. She became the 11th different Lady Lion to garner All-Big Ten first team honors last season after finishing in the Top 15 in the Big Ten in scoring (12th/14.4), assists (2nd/5.0), field goal percentage (14th/.446), free throw percentage (11th/.798) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th/1.7). Bentley was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals in three tourney contests. Additionally, the Indianapolis native registered seven 20-point games, including a pair of 20-point performances in the NCAA Tournament.
Bentley, who participated in USA Basketball World University Games trials in Colorado this summer, is 14th in school history with 299 career assists. Her 174 helpers last year are 17th on Penn State's single-season charts.
Now in its 35th year, the State Farm Wade Trophy is named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. The prestigious award, regarded as "The Heisman of Women's Basketball," is presented annually to the NCAA® Division I Player of the Year by the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) and the WBCA.
The 25-member preseason list is composed of top NCAA Division I student-athletes from 17 institutions and seven conferences who best embody Wade's spirit. A committee of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States compiled the list using the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.
About State Farm®:State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. Our 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 78 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.
About the NAGWS:The National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) was established to develop and deliver equitable and quality sport opportunities for ALL girls and women through relevant research, advocacy, leadership development, educational strategies, and programming in a manner that promotes social justice and change.
About the WBCA:Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.
Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are available by calling 814-867-2557. Season tickets are $117 for adults, $52 for youth and $91 for seniors. The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 10 vouchers that can be redeemed for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets in any combination.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.
Here is the complete list of preseason candidates for the 2012 State Farm Wade Trophy in alphabetical order:
| Player | Institution | Position | Year |
| LaSondra Barrett | Louisiana State | Forward | Senior |
| Alex Bentley | Penn State | Guard | Junior |
| Cierra Bravard | Florida State | Forward | Senior |
| Carolyn Davis | Kansas | Forward | Junior |
| Elena Delle Donne | Delaware | Forward | Junior |
| Skylar Diggins | Notre Dame | Guard | Junior |
| Jasmine Dixon | UCLA | Forward | Senior |
| Stefanie Dolson | Connecticut | Center | Junior |
| Brittney Griner | Baylor | Post | Junior |
| Keisha Hampton | DePaul | Forward | Senior |
| Bria Hartley | Connecticut | Guard | Junior |
| Tiffany Hayes | Connecticut | Guard | Senior |
| Glory Johnson | Tennessee | Forward | Senior |
| Shenise Johnson | Miami | Guard | Senior |
| Natalie Novosel | Notre Dame | Guard | Senior |
| Chiney Ogwumike | Stanford | Forward | Sophomore |
| Nneka Ogwumike | Stanford | Forward | Senior |
| Devereaux Peters | Notre Dame | Forward | Senior |
| Jamie Printy | Iowa | Guard | Junior |
| Monique Reid | Louisville | Forward | Senior |
| Sugar Rodgers | Georgetown | Guard | Junior |
| Odyssey Sims | Baylor | Guard | Sophomore |
| Shekinna Stricklen | Tennessee | Guard | Senior |
| Tyra White | Texas A&M | Guard | Senior |
| Riquna Williams | Miami | Guard | Senior |
The 2012 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced during the WBCA National Convention, which will be held in conjunction with the 2012 NCAA® Women's Final Four® in Denver.