March 31, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - For the second time in three years, Stanford has had two players named to the WBCA Coaches' All-America Team, as Nnemkadi and Chiney Ogwumike were honored as All-Americans Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
The previous occasion on which Stanford had two WBCA All-Americans was 2010, when Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Jayne Appel were named to the team.
The Ogwumikes were joined on the team by Elena Delle Donne (Delaware), Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), Brittney Griner (Baylor), Glory Johnson (Tennessee), Shenise Johnson (Miami), Odyssey Sims (Baylor), Alyssa Thomas (Maryland) and Bria Hartley (Connecticut).
Saturday's announcement is the first WBCA All-America selection for Chiney, while for Nneka, she becomes only the third Cardinal player to earn three WBCA All-America nods, joining four-time selection Candice Wiggins (2005-08) and three-time pick Nicole Powell (2002-04).
Overall, the sisters' selections make for the 20th and 21st WBCA All-America nods all-time for Stanford Women's Basketball. This season is also the 11th straight season in which a Cardinal player has earned a spot on the team.
Earlier this week, they each earned All-America nods from the Associated Press, with Nneka being a unanimous selection to the first team and Chiney being voted to the second team. Nneka was also named to the USBWA and John R. Wooden Award All-America Teams Wednesday.
The sisters pace a Stanford (35-1) team that opens play in its fifth straight Final Four this weekend, putting the Cardinal's program-record 32-game winning streak on the line against Baylor Sunday, April 1 at 6 p.m. PT.
The 2011-12 season that Nneka has put together is one of the most, if not the most, dominant in Stanford history. The Cypress, Texas native was named Pac-12 Player of the Year for the second time in her career, as well as the Most Outstanding Player of both the Pac-12 Tournament and Fresno Regional.
She is also a consensus national player of the year finalist, in contention for the Wade Trophy, John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, and national player of the year awards of the Associated Press and USBWA.
She enters Sunday's contest averaging 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds a game with shooting percentages of 55.4 from the field and 83.1 from the free-throw line. Over Stanford's four NCAA Tournament wins she has averaged 28.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.11 assists and shot 65.1 percent from the field and 82.9 percent from the line.
Her scoring average (22.5) is currently the top single-season mark in school history and her 787 points on the year are tied with Candice Wiggins' 2008 mark.
She became Stanford's fourth and the Pac-12's eighth member of the "2,000-Point/1,000-Rebound Club" on Jan. 7 against Oregon State, achieving both marks on that day. Ogwumike currently stands second in Stanford history with 2,469 points, a 58.4 field-goal percentage and 551 free throws made, third with 1,217 rebounds and fourth with 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Ogwumike has also posted 19 double-doubles, 20 games with at least 20 points and five games of at least 30 points. Her top scoring effort this year came on Dec. 20 against then-No. 6/6 Tennessee, when she scored a career-high 42 points with 17 rebounds in Stanford's 97-80 win.
Chiney Ogwumike, who was also named to the Associated Press All-America Second Team last Tuesday, earned the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and is one of five finalists for the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year award. She is also a finalist for the Wade Trophy. She was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team and to the Fresno All-Regional Team, highlighting her weekend in Fresno with 12 points and 17 rebounds in Stanford's win over Duke Monday.
This season the younger half of Stanford's sibling combination contributed to Stanford's domination of the paint, scoring 15.3 points per game and pulling down 10.3 rebounds. Heading into Sunday's matchup with Baylor, Chiney's season haul of 370 rebounds is just six away from matching her older sister's 2010 record of 376.
She has posted 19 double-doubles this season as well as a team-leading 20 games of at least 10 rebounds in 2011-12. Chiney has led the team in rebounding on 19 occasions this season, including a career day of 27 points and 18 rebounds in Stanford's 74-71 overtime victory against California on Jan. 28.