Sha Brooks Named Regional Finalist for State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | Women's Basketball
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in cooperation with State Farm, announced that the University of Florida's Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) is one of 52 regional finalists for the 2009 State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.
The State Farm Coaches' All-America Team selection committee will review these 52 candidates and cut the list to 40 finalists on Thursday, March 25. The 40 finalists will all be in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.
Brooks, who recently was a unanimous selection as a First Team All-Southeastern Conference performer by the league's coaches and media, leads Florida in scoring (16.6 ppg), assists (4.73), free throws made (128) and free throws attempted (163), while ranking second for steals (1.70) and made 3-pointers (45).
During the 14 SEC slate, Brooks averaged 19.7 points (No. 2 in SEC), 5.71 assists (T-No. 2 in SEC), 2.00 steals (No. 5 in SEC), while shooting 40.8 percent (29-71) from the 3-point arc (No. 3 in SEC) and 77.5 percent free throws (No. 8 in SEC) and totaling seven 20-plus point performances.
Brooks, who has never missed a game during her career, enters the NCAA Tournament having started a program-record 122 consecutive games and 123 of 124 games she has played.
The regional finalists are:
| Region I | Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Jesyka Burks-Wiley | Boston Univ. | Sr. | F | 6'0 |
| Tina Charles | Univ. of Connecticut | Jr. | C | 6'4 |
| Judie Lomax | Columbia Univ. | Soph. | F | 5'11 |
| Angel McCoughtry | Univ. of Louisville | Sr. | F | 6'1 |
| Maya Moore | Univ. of Connecticut | Soph. | F | 6'0 |
| Renee Montgomery | Univ. of Connecticut | Sr. | G | 5'7 |
| Deirdre Naughton | DePaul Univ. | Jr. | G | 5'10 |
| Ta'Shia Phillips | Xavier Univ. | Soph. | C | 6'6 |
| Epiphanny Prince | Rutgers Univ. | Jr. | G | 5'9 |
| Kia Vaughn | Rutgers Univ. | Sr. | C | 6'4 |
| Natasha Williams | DePaul Univ. | Sr. | F | 6'3 |
| Shavonte Zellous | Univ. of Pittsburgh | Sr. | G | 5'11 |
|
| Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Chante Black | Duke Univ. | Sr. | C | 6'5 |
| Marissa Coleman | Univ. of Maryland | Sr. | G/F | 6'1 |
| Lyndra Littles | Univ. of Virginia | Sr. | G/F | 6'1 |
| Rashanda McCants | Univ. of North Carolina | Sr. | G/F | 6'1 |
| Carolyn Swords | Boston College | Soph. | C | 6'6 |
| Kristi Toliver | Univ. of Maryland | Sr. | G | 5'7 |
| Monica Wright | Univ. of Virginia | Jr. | G | 5'11 |
|
| Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Whitney Boddie | Auburn Univ. | Sr. | G | 5'9 |
| DeWanna Bonner | Auburn Univ. | Sr. | G | 6'4 |
| Sha Brooks | Univ. of Florida | Sr. | G | 5'8 |
| Siarre Evans | East Tennessee State Univ. | Jr. | G | 5'11 |
| Allison Hightower | Louisiana State Univ. | Jr. | G | 5'11 |
| Ashley Houts | Univ. of Georgia | Jr. | G | 5'6 |
| Christina Wirth | Vanderbilt Univ. | Sr. | F | 6'1 |
|
| Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Alysha Clark | Middle Tennessee St. Univ. | Jr. | F | 5'10 |
| Rachel Galligan | Eastern Illinois Univ. | Sr. | F | 6'2 |
| Ashley Hayes | Murray State Univ. | Sr. | G | 5'10 |
| Anna Kowalska | Kent State Univ. | Sr. | C | 6'4 |
| Lauren Prochaska | Bowling Green State Univ. | Soph. | G | 5'11 |
| Chastity Reed | Univ. of Arkansas, Little Rock | Soph. | F | 6'1 |
|
| Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Danielle Gant | Texas A&M Univ. | Sr. | G/F | 5'11 |
| Shalee Lehning | Kansas State Univ. | Sr. | G | 5'9 |
| Danielle McCray | Univ. of Kansas | Jr. | G | 5'11 |
| Courtney Paris | Univ. of Oklahoma | Sr. | C | 6'4 |
| Andrea Riley | Oklahoma State Univ. | Jr. | G | 5'5 |
| Takia Starks | Texas A&M Univ. | Sr. | G | 5'8 |
| Danielle Wilson | Baylor Univ. | Jr. | C | 6'3 |
|
| Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Kristi Cirone | Illinois State Univ. | Sr. | G | 5'8 |
| Traci Edwards | Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee | Sr. | C | 6'2 |
| Jantel Lavender | Ohio State Univ. | Soph. | C | 6'4 |
| Rachel Porath | Univ. of Wisconsin, Green Bay | Sr. | G | 5'10 |
| Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton | Purdue Univ. | Sr. | F | 6'2 |
|
| Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Dellena Criner | Univ. of Nevada | Sr. | G | 5'7 |
| Shanavia Dowdell | Louisiana Tech Univ. | Jr. | F | 6'2 |
| Jen? Morris | San Diego State Univ. | Jr. | G | 5'9 |
| Morgan Warburton | Univ. of Utah | Sr. | G | 5'11 |
|
| Institution | Year | Pos. | Height |
| Jayne Appel | Stanford Univ. | Jr. | C | 6'4 |
| Briann January | Arizona State Univ. | Sr. | G | 5'8 |
| Courtney Vandersloot | Gonzaga Univ. | Soph. | G | 5'8 |
| Ashley Walker | Univ. of California, Berkeley | Sr. | F | 6'0 |
In an effort to establish a fair number of candidates from each region, an equation to determine the number of regional nominees was formulated. The total number of Division I institutions in each region is divided by the total number of Division I institutions to get a percentage for each region. Multiply 52 (the total number of desired finalists) by the percentage to get a total number of finalists for each region. The 52 regional finalists then go before the selection committee where the list is reduced to 40 finalists. These 40 finalists can come from any region. Per a motion passed by the WBCA Board of Directors in 2008, Region 1 will now have 12 finalists and Region 4 will have six finalists.
The State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division I will be announced at the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Press Conference at the Renaissance Grand and Suites Hotel on April 4, at 9:45 a.m. CT in St. Louis, Mo.
About State Farm
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve more than 78 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.
-UF-
