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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE
- Schimmel placed on Wade Watch List
The candidates for the Margaret Wade Trophy watch list have been announced. The Wade Trophy is awarded annually to the best player in women's college basketball.
Shoni Schimmel, a junior guard at the University of Louisville is on the Wade watch list. This does not mean someone has to keep an eye on her if she takes a dip in the ocean or pool. It basically breaks down to this: she's considered one of the best 25 players in college basketball this year. 
Last year's winner Brittney Griner is back again and is probably the odds-on favorite for a repeat. Since 2000, two women's college basketball players have pulled off the double...one of them getting the honor three years in a row. Any guesses on who? One is pretty obvious...Maya Moore was selected as the recipient in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. The other maybe a surprise to most of you (Sonja guessed Candace Parker) but it is Seimone Augustus 2004-05 and 2005-06.
Since its inception in 1978, the award has been given to UConn players seven times. Besides Moore's three wins, can you name anyone else from UConn who received it? Here's a few hints. Two of them just played on the Olympic team. One is a broadcaster on ESPN and the other is the head womens' basketball coach at Hartford. The answers are Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Rebecca Lobo and Jen Rizzotti.
Who will win this year? If she stays healthy and has a season like last year...Griner should repeat. Skylar Diggins is standing ready to pick up the pieces if Griner should falter. A couple of Kentucky high school players are also nominated...Adia Mathies and Anna Martin.
Here's a list of the winners since the turn of the century.
2000-01 Jackie Styles SW Missouri St.2001-02 Sue Bird Connecticut2002-03 Diana Taurasi Connecticut2003-04 Alana Beard Duke2004-05 Seimone Augustus LSU2005-06 " " " " " "2006-07 Candace Parker Tennessee2007-08 Candice Wiggins Stanford2008-09 Maya Moore Connecticut2009-10 " " " " " " "2010-11 " " " " " " "2011-12 Brittney Griner Baylor
That's right....Angel McCoughtry never won the award. She would have been a good choice in the 2008-09 season but Moore, as a sophomore, led UConn to the title and beat out McCoughtry.
Shoni isn't the only current UofL women's basketball player to be nominated to the list. Senior Monique Reid was nominated before the 2011-12 season began.
To be considered one of the best 25 players in your sport is quite an honor. Louisville has two such players on the roster. Let's hope Shoni, Monique and the rest of the Lady Cards are on a watch list to win the BIG EAST title and "wade" into the NCAA Tournament with a great seed.
41 days until the UofL womens' basketball team plays the first game...an exhibition against Eckerd College. ......
.WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:-Monique Reid one of nine BIG EAST players on list-Angel's two free throws sink the Sky 83-80-UK being its typical self...University of Louisville senior forward Monique Reid has been named to the prestigious Wade Trophy watch list...a yearly list of the top 25 college women's basketball stars. The last Lady Card to receive this honor was Angel McCoughtry. Reid was the leading scorer on last year's UofL squad that made it to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. Her injury probably prevented the Cards from defeating Gonzaga to advance to the Great Eight. No such worries this season for the Fern Creek, KY. star. She led the Cards in scoring in two of the three games during the Canada trip and is showing no effects of the hamstring injury that brought her season to an early close.Reid became an impact player upon arrival to the Louisville campus in the fall of 2008. Along with Angel McCoughtry and Candyce Bingham, she helped lead the Cards to the NCAA Final Four and the championship game against Connecticut. At times, she was the main offensive threat in the Cards disappointing 2009-10 season leading the Cards and the BIG EAST in scoring with 18.4 a game. She averaged over 16 points last year for the 2010-11 Jeff Walz's squad..tops for the team. Reid joins eight other BIG EAST players on the watch list. From Connecticut, Stefanie Dolson, Bria Hartley and Tiffany Hayes were selected. Notre Dame stars Natalie Novosel, Devereaux Peters and Skylar Diggins made the list. Also selected were Georgetown's Sugar Rodgers and DePaul's Keisha Hampton. The PAC 12 placed four players on the team, and the SEC, BIG 12, and ACC landed three players each. A big CARDINAL COUPLE congratulations to Monique and the LADY CARDS for this honor! *************************************************************************************************************Two free throws from Angel McCoughtry gave the Atlanta Dream a one point lead with 2.5 seconds to go against the Chicago Sky and Lindsey Harding added a pair with no time left on the clock to give Atlanta a 83-80 win over Chicago. The victory gives Atlanta (14-13) a two game cushion over Chicago for fourth place in the WNBA Eastern Division. Sylvia Fowles hit a jumper with 6.3 seconds to go...putting Chicago up 80-79. McCoughtry took the ensuing inbounds toss, though and went strong to the basket...drawing a foul and sinking the charity stripe efforts. Harding was fouled as time expired and provided the final margin of victory. Harding finished with 15 for Atlanta. Erika DeSouza had 13 points and Sancho Lyttle finished with 12 for the Dream. Fowles totaled 20 for the Sky.**************************************************************************************************************First, we get the news from our loyal readership that UK isn't supplying UofL any tickets for the women's volleyball match this year. Now, news that the UofL ticket office won't have any tickets to sell for the UofL vs UK women's basketball game this winter in Lexington. If you want tickets for the voleyball match, they are available from the UK Box office at $5 a ticket. 1-800-928-2287. Hoops? Anyone's guess right now...
