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A blog on UConn women's basketball.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

UConn well-represented in All-Star balloting

Former UConn stars Tina Charles, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Swin Cash were voted as starters for the July 23 WNBA All-Star game.

Fan balloting ended on Sunday and the results were announced during the second quarter of Thursday's Seattle/San Antonio game.

It is the first time five players from the same college have been voted as All-Star starters.

The Western Conference starting lineup is nearly an all-UConn affair as Bird and Cash of the Seattle Storm, Moore of Minnesota and Taurasi of Phoenix were voted to start along with Los Angeles' Candace Parker, who is injured and will not be able to play.

Charles, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Connecticut Sun, is joined on the Eastern Conference starting lineup along New York's Cappie Pondexter, Indiana's Katie Douglas and Tamika Catchings and Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta.

"It definitely means a lot to make the all-star team," said Charles, who beat out Chicago's Sylvia Fowles for the starting Eastern Conference center spot. "It is a dream come true. Just being in the league alone is a dream come true, the contributions of my teammates and them pushing me through my rookie seasson has helped me this season and just them being here for me means a lot."

Bird and Catchings were voted as starters for a record seventh time while Moore becomes the first rookie to be voted as an All-Star game starter since Bird and Catchings accomplished the feat in 2002.

Former UConn players and Connecticut Sun teammates Renee Montgomery and Asjha Jones finished third in the voting among Eastern Conference guards and forwards although neither serious challenged for a starting spot in the voting.

"I think the fans vote, it is reflection of the great fans we have in Connecticut and the great women’s fans that tend to follow our players as they are in college and as they move forward," UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey said. "I don’t want to minimize the basketball part of it but when it is being voted on by the fans, it is personality, it is how you play and it is a lot more than just the basketball because it is how they feel about you. I think our players do a great job in the community. I think they handle themselves well. I think people like them. I wish I had a dollar for every person that said ‘so and so is the kind of kid that I’d like to have as a granddaughter or as a daughter.’ That is a reflection on them and their families and how they treat people."

The reserves will be announced on July 19 during the ESPN2 broadcast of the Seattle/Chicago game. WNBA president Laurel Richie will name Parker's replacement with Western Conference coach Brian Agler of Seattle will name the starting center, choosing among the Western Conference reserves.

Here are the final voting returns:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Forwards: Tamika Catchings (Ind) 32,706; Angel McCoughtry (Atl) 14,310; Asjha Jones (Conn) 9,767; Crystal Langhorne (Wash) 7,274; Plenette Pierson (NY) 6,985; Tangela Smith (Ind) 6,145; Nicole Powell (NY) 5,806; Michelle Snow (Chi) 5,634; Tan White (Conn) 4,341; Marissa Coleman (Wash) 4,200

Centers: Tina Charles (Conn) 17,205; Sylvia Fowles (Chi) 14,544; Nicky Anosike (Wash) 6,386; Tammy Sutton-Brown (Ind) 4,301

Guards: Cappie Pondexter (NY) 20,226; Katie Douglas (Ind) 18,598; Renee Montgomery (Conn) 12,511; Courtney Vandersloot (Chi) 9,560; Kara Lawson (Conn) 9,031; Essence Carson (NY) 4,901; Alana Beard (Wash) 4,855; Epiphanny Prince (Chi) 4,806; Lindsey Harding (Atl) 4,616; Iziane Castro Marques (Atl) 4,418; Kelly Miller (Wash) 3,740; Briann January (Ind) 3,706


WESTERN CONFERENCE
Forwards: Maya Moore (Minn) 21,379; Swin Cash (Sea) 14,907; Rebekkah Brunson (Minn) 12,223; Tina Thompson (LA) 11,813; Penny Taylor (Phx) 9,666; Sophia Young (SA) 9,553; Candice Dupree (Phx) 9,013; Camille Little (Sea) 5,462; Ruth Riley (SA) 5,430; Sheryl Swoopes (Tul) 5,031; Delisha Milton-Jones (LA) 4,049

Centers: Candace Parker (LA) 19,376; Lauren Jackson (Sea) 12,529; Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Minn) 8,572; Jayne Appel (SA) 5,315; Elizabeth Cambage (Tul) 4,217

Guards: Sue Bird (Sea) 25,077; Diana Taurasi (Phx) 22,406; Becky Hammon (SA) 16,538; Seimone Augustus (Minn) 10,119; Lindsay Whalen (Minn) 7,228; Kristi Toliver (LA) 5,498; Jia Perkins (SA) 4,980; Ivory Latta (Tul) 4,666; Ticha Penicheiro (LA) 4,624



Here's a look at UConn's All-Star representatives throughout the years (not including the years when the format changed because of the Olympics or World Championship preparation).

1999: Rebecca Lobo, Nykesha Sales
2000: Nykesha Sales
2001: Nykesha Sales, Rita Williams
2002: Sue Bird, Nykesha Sales
2003: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Nykesha Sales
2005: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Nykesha Sales, Diana Taurasi
2006: Sue Bird, Nykesha Sales, Diana Taurasi
2007: Sue Bird (did not play due to injury), Asjha Jones, Diana Taurasi
2009: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Charde Houston, Asjha Jones, Diana Taurasi

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1 Comments:

Anonymous UConn Steve said...

POINTS + REBOUNDS + ASSISTS

Rank, Player, Team, GP PTS PPG REB RPG AST APG Total Avg

3 Tina Charles , CON 11 199 18.1 117 10.6 11 1.0 327 29.7

6 Diana Taurasi , PHO 13 257 19.8 42 3.2 49 3.8 348 26.8

9 Swin Cash , SEA 12 197 16.4 75 6.2 33 2.8 305 25.4

14 Renee Montgomery , CON 11 182 16.5 27 2.5 53 4.8 262 23.8

15 Sue Bird , SEA 12 187 15.6 31 2.6 65 5.4 283 23.6

24 Maya Moore , MIN 11 160 14.5 49 4.5 29 2.6 238 21.6

34 Asjha Jones , CON 11 143 13.0 53 4.8 18 1.6 214 19.5

4:24 PM 

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