April 3, 2010
Stanford Press Conference Quotes in PDF Format
Oklahoma Press Conference Quotes in PDF Format
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Stanford teammates Jayne Appel and Nnemkadi Ogwumike were named to the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Saturday afternoon, State Farm and the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) announced. The announcement marks the first time in program history that Stanford has placed two athletes on one State Farm (formerly Kodak) Coaches' All-America Team.
The 10-woman team was announced at a press conference held on the game court at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Appel, who earned her second straight selection to the team, and Ogwumike, who was named an All-American for the first time in her collegiate career, now bring the total number of Stanford's State Farm Coaches' All-America selections to 18. Ogwumike also becomes the ninth Cardinal player to earn All-America honors from the WBCA.
The selection of Appel and Ogwumike also marks the ninth straight year that Stanford has been represented on the team, as Nicole Powell (2002-04), Candice Wiggins (2005-08) and Appel (2009) were all previously honored earlier this decade.
Entering this weekend's Final Four, Appel is averaging 13.6 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 54.3 percent from the field. Despite coming off of knee surgery over the summer which limited her practice time in the preseason, Appel was still a force for the Cardinal, routinely drawing double and even triple teams from opposing defenses.
Appel has posted 13 double-doubles so far in 2009-10, and scored at least 20 points in four games. Yet she has not only left on impact on the current season, but has left her imprint on Stanford's record book. Appel will finish her Stanford career as the school's and the Pac-10's all-time leading rebounder (1,246 entering the Final Four) and the school's leading shot-blocker (272). She currently stands second in field-goal percentage (.570) and rebounds per game (8.6), third in points (2,112) and sixth in points per game (14.6). Appel also goes down in Stanford history as one of three players to record 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Ogwumike has enjoyed a breakout season in her sophomore year, leading the Pac-10 with 18.2 points per game and a 61.1-percent shooting mark from the field. She just missed out on the Pac-10 triple crown, as she is second in the loop with 9.6 rebounds per game. Those numbers, along with seven double-doubles in conference play, led to Ogwumike being named Pac-10 Player of the Year.
On the year, Ogwumike has posted 16 double-doubles, including in six of seven postseason contests for the Cardinal. Her 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game at the Pac-10 Tournament led to her being named the tournament's MVP, and she also claimed more silverware when she was named the Sacramento Regional MVP last Monday.
Her 655 points heading into this weekend ranks fourth on Stanford's single-season list, and currently Ogwumike is Stanford's most efficient shooter with a career field-goal percentage of .618 entering the Final Four. Against UC Riverside in the NCAA Tournament First Round two weeks ago, Ogwumike also became the 31st player in Stanford history to reach the 1,000 career points mark.
Stanford will open play at the 2010 Final Four Sunday at 4 p.m. PT, taking on the Oklahoma Sooners at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game will be televised on ESPN and online on ESPN360.
2010 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team
Jayne Appel, Stanford
Tina Charles, Connecticut
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Kelsey Griffin, Nebraska
Amber Harris, Xavier
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State
Maya Moore, Connecticut
Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Stanford
Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma
Monica Wright, Virginia