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SDSU's Jené Morris Named to WBCA's Wade Watch List
July 30, 2009 ATLANTA -- San Diego State senior Jené Morris has been named to the 2009-10 preseason "Wade Watch" list for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced Thursday. The 25-member list is made up of top NCAA Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability. Last season, Morris, a 2008-09 honorable mention State Farm Coaches' All-American, led San Diego State to the program's first NCAA tournament bid in 12 years and the team's first NCAA victory in 15 seasons, before falling in the second round to second-ranked and eventual Final Four participant Stanford. She averaged a team-best 16.1 points per game, scoring 20 or more points eight times and eclipsing the 30-point barrier on three occasions, including a 35-point performance vs. DePaul in the Aztecs' first round NCAA tournament game. She led the league in steals in both overall (3.33 spg) and conference-only (2.94 spg) outings, ranking seventh nationally and becoming the first Aztec to record 100 steals in a season since Falisha Wright in 1993-94. Morris had three or more steals in 20 of her 30 games, including a league-high eight on two occasions, which are the most by an Aztec since 2002. Morris' other honors last season included being named the 2009 MWC Defensive Player of the Year, first-team all-conference, MWC all-defensive team, MWC Championship all-tournament team and four-time MWC player of the week. SDSU ended the year with a 24-8 overall record and a 13-3 mark in conference play, capturing a share of its first-ever Mountain West Conference regular season title and advancing to its second consecutive MWC championship game. The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 33rd year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. This highly prestigious award, regarded as the "Heisman of Women's Basketball," is organized by the WBCA, in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). This year's "Wade Watch" list has 20 institutions and 10 conference represented. Past winners of the prestigious award include Maya Moore (2009), Candice Wiggins (2008), Candace Parker (2007), Seimone Augustus (2005-06), Sue Bird (2002), Rebecca Lobo (1995), Teresa Weatherspoon (1988), Cheryl Miller (1985) and Nancy Lieberman (1979-80). The 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four, in San Antonio, Texas, April 2-6. -mwc-
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