Fresno State Athletics
Wiggins & Ross Earn All-Region WBCA Honors
3/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 16, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - After recording a perfect 16-0 conference mark en route to the 2010 regular season Western Athletic Conference Championship and earning the program's first at-large bid for their third consecutive NCAA appearance, WAC Coach of the Year Adrian Wiggins and WAC Defensive Player of the Year Jaleesa Ross were honored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as All-Region nominees.
The honor is the first recognition by the WBCA for both Wiggins and Ross.
Wiggins is one of eight coaches, including the head coaches for three No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament - Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Nebraska's Connie Yori and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer, in consideration as a finalist for the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coach of the Year. The winner will be honored during the 2010 NCAA Women's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.
NCAA Division I Region Coach Honorees
Region 1 - Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut
Region 2 - Sue Semrau, Florida State University
Region 3 - Matthew Mitchell, University of Kentucky
Region 4 - Joe Foley, Univ. of Arkansas, Little Rock
Region 5 - Connie Yori, University of Nebraska
Region 6 - Robin Pingeton, Illinois State University
Region 7 - Adrian Wiggins, Fresno State
Region 8 - Tara VanDerveer, Stanford University
Ross is one of 52 candidates who will be reviewed and considered for a spot as one of 40 finalists for the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team. The national team will be announced as a part of the NCAA's Super Saturday events in San Antonio, Texas.
Ross, a junior from Pinole, Calif., led the team in scoring (17.7), rebounding (5.9), assists (2.9) and steals (2.2). She also set a single-season school record with 102 and became Fresno State's all-time leading 3-point scorer with 286 3-pointers to send the `Dogs to a 27-6 overall record, the best performance in program history.
NCAA Division I Region 7 Student-Athlete Honorees
Name - Institution - Year - Pos. - Height
Jené Morris, San Diego State University, Sr., G, 5'9
Shanavia Dowdell, Louisiana Tech University, Sr., F, 6'2
Jaleesa Ross, Fresno State, Jr., G, 5'8
Helena Sverrisdottir, Texas Christian University, Jr., G/F, 6'1
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.
"We Are Your Team!" -- Fresno State is directing Bulldog fans to the Cal ticket office to purchase tickets. They can accommodate both all-session and single session orders. The tickets range from $35 to $20 for all session tickets, and from $20 to $10 for single session tickets. Fresno State fans just need to indicate that they are Fresno State fans and they will be seated together. The number to call is 1-800-GO-BEARS.
