Aug. 13, 2003

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Senior women's basketball player Shereka Wright has been named one of 30 preseason candidates for the inaugural John R. Wooden Award. The 30 players named to the Wooden Women's Award Preseason All-American Team were selected by the National Advisory Board based on last year's individual performances and team records.

Wright averaged a team-high 18.9 points per game and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game for Purdue in 2002-03. The 5-foot-10 forward was a first team All-Big Ten pick, was the Big Ten Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and earned honorable mention All-America laurels from Kodak. She was a third team All-American by The Associated Press, and was a finalist for both the Naismith Award and the Wade Trophy.

Beginning in 2004, the John R. Wooden Award will be presented annually to the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player, as it has been presented to the most outstanding men's collegiate player since 1976. The men's award is considered the most prestigious individual honor in the college game.

Applied Materials will serve as the presenting sponsor for the women's award.

Eight NCAA conferences are represented on the women's top 30 list. Seven SEC players are on the list, followed by six from the Big 12, five from the Big East, and four from both the Big Ten and the Pac-10. The ACC has two players on the list, with the Big West and Conference USA adding one apiece.

The list of 30 will be trimmed to 20 in mid-January, when the Midseason Top 20 List is announced. The official voting ballot, on which will appear 10 to 15 names of players who have excelled on the court while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better, will go out in March. More than 250 voters will receive the official voting ballot. Tabulation for all voting will be calculated by Deloitte & Touche.

Wright and the Boilermakers will begin their season on Nov. 16, when they play host to Kansas State in the State Farm Women's Tip-Off Classic.

2003-04 Wooden Women's Award Preseason All-American Team
Seimone Augustus, So., LSU
Jacqueline Batteast, Jr., Notre Dame
Alana Beard, Sr., Duke
Jenni Benningfield, Jr., Vanderbilt
Tera Bjorklund, Jr., Colorado
Rebekah Brunson, Sr., Georgetown
Shameka Christon, Sr., Arkansas
Shyra Ely, Jr., Tennessee
Ebony Hoffman, Sr., USC
Chandi Jones, Sr., Houston
Kelly Mazzante, Sr., Penn State
Giuliana Mediola, Jr., Washington
Loree Moore, Jr., Tennessee
Nicole Ohlde, Sr., Kansas State
Jia Perkins, Sr., Texas Tech
Shawntinice Polk, So., Arizona
Cappie Pondexter, Jr., Rutgers
Nicole Powell, Sr., Stanford
Heather Schreiber, Jr., Texas
Stacy Stephens, Sr., Texas
Ann Strother, So., Connecticut
Siana Taurasi, Sr., Connecticut
Lindsay Taylor, Sr., UC Santa Barbara
Christi Thomas, Sr., Georgia
Iciss Tillis, Sr., Duke
Kendra Wecker, Sr., Kansas State
Lindsay Whalen, Sr., Minnesota
Tan White, Jr., Mississippi State
Shereka Wright, Sr., Purdue
Tanisha Wright, Jr., Penn State

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