The Stanford women’s basketball team won’t open its season until Saturday, when it hosts Vanguard in an exhibition game, but preseason honors already are flowing in.
On Tuesday, Cardinal junior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike was named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America Team. Ogwumike received 34 of 40 votes from the 65-member national voting panel.
Ogwumike joins Connecticut’s Maya Moore, Baylor’s Brittney Griner, Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender and Oklahoma’s Danielle Robinson on the five-player team.
Last year Ogwumike leaped into the national spotlight after grabbing Pac-10 Player-of-the- Year honors when she led the conference in scoring (18.5 ppg) and field-goal percentage (59.8) while finishing second in rebounding (9.9 rpg).
Her dominant performance then led to her being named to the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team for the first time as well as to the Associated Press All-America Second Team. In the postseason, Ogwumike garnered Pac-10 Tournament and Sacramento Region MVP honors, and was named to the All-Final Four Team while helping lead the Cardinal to a program record 36 wins, a national championship game appearance and its third straight Final Four.
This season, Ogwumike returns to the Cardinal starting lineup, joining fellow team captains and All-Pac-10 selections Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen. The Cardinal returns 11 letterwinners and welcomes three talented freshmen in 2010-11, including Nnemkadi’s younger sister, Chiney Ogwumike, the consensus top-ranked recruit of the 2010 class.
Ogwumike and the Cardinal will open the 2010-11 regular season at Maples Pavilion on Sunday, Nov. 14, hosting Rutgers.
— Stanford Sports Information
— Stanford Sports Information
— Stanford Sports Information