ST. LOUIS (USBWA) Baylor senior center sensation Brittney Griner became the ninth three-time honoree and was joined by four other repeat selections on the 2012-13 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women's All-America Team from last season.
Also selected as repeat All-Americans were Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins, Maryland's Alyssa Thomas, and Baylor's Odyssey Sims. Additionally, a first-time sister act has occurred with Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike, whose sibling Nnemkadi, now with the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks, was a three-time honoree. Texas A&M's Kelsey Bone is the school's second player to earn All-America honors.
Former Oklahoma star Courtney Paris and former UConn great Maya Moore are the only four-time honorees since the All-America women's team gained USBWA status in 1996-97.
Because of the upsets in the Sweet 16, only Notre Dame's Diggins and Connecticut honorees Stefanie Dolson and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who meet for the fourth time this season in the national semifinals, will be the only honorees participating in the Women's Final Four at the New Orleans Arena in Louisiana this weekend.
Three seniors, Griner, Delle Donne, and Diggins, expected to be the first three players selected in the WNBA draft on April 15, headline a squad that also has six juniors and one sophomore.
Diggins and UConn teammates Dolson and Mosqueda-Lewis give the Big East three representatives on the squad while Baylor teammates Griner and Sims, who are also past USBWA freshman of the year honorees, give the Big 12 two representatives.
The Atlantic Coast, Pac-12, Southeastern, Big Ten and Colonial Athletic Association each have one representative with Delle Donne being the only honoree from a mid-major school.
Diggins, Griner, Ogwumike, and Lucas were also conference players of the year, respectively in the Big East, Big 12, Pac-12, and Big Ten.
The USBWA Women's All-America Team is the nation's best ten players, regardless of position, as selected by the USBWA membership based on regular-season performance. These ten standouts are finalists for the USBWA's Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as national player of the year, which will be announced Sunday at the New Orleans Sports Arena prior to the start of the NCAA semifinals.
Following is the complete 2012-13 USBWA Women's All-America Team:
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association, formed in 1956, has named a women's All-America team since the 1996-97 season. The association has also named a national player of the year since 1987-88 and a national coach of the year since 1989-90. In 2002-03, the USBWA initiated an award for the nation's top freshman. For more information about the USBWA and its award programs, contact Executive Director Joe Mitch in the Missouri Valley Conference office at 314-795-6821.
Related link:
All-time USBWA women's honors