Guards Leilani Mitchell from Idaho and Tasha Williams from Louisiana Tech were named to the 2005-06 Associated Press women’s All-America basketball team. Both earned honorable mention honors.
Williams, a first team All-Western Athletic Conference selection this season, earned honorable mention honors on the AP team, along with fellow WAC player Leilani Mitchell of Idaho.
The Kingsland, Ark., native, who will participate this weekend in the WNBA Combine in Boston, averaged 12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.8 steals while leading the Top 25 ranked Lady Techsters to the program’s 25th NCAA Tournament appearance.
The four-year starter ends her Tech career ranking No. 26 in scoring (1,252 points), No. 6 in assists (477), No. 6 in steals (277), No. 2 in free throws made (426), No. 5 in free throws attempted (541) and No. 5 in free throw percentage (.787).
Mitchell, a junior from Kennewick (Wash.) High School, joins former teammate Emily Faurholt as just the second Idaho women’s basketball player to receive such recognition from the national media.
In Idaho’s first season as a member of the WAC, Mitchell tied for the conference lead for scoring (17.6 points per game) and currently ranks in the top 50 nationally in three categories, including No. 2 for steals (4.0 steals per game), No. 18 for assists (5.6 assists per game) and No. 49 for points. She also set the WAC record for single-season steals average and tied the single-season steals record with 115.
The Vandal women’s basketball team has now placed six players on various All-America teams in its 32-year existence. Denise Brose was selected as an AIAW First Team All-American for the 1981-82 season and as a District VII First Team All-American for the 1982-83 season. Mary Raese and Mary Westerville were both selected as District VII First Team All-American’s during the 1985-86 season when the Vandals won the WNIT. Alli Nieman has been honored as an All-American three times in her career. She was honored as a Kodak All-America Honorable Mention and a District VIII First Team All-American during the 1998-99 season, and was again selected as a District VIII First Team All-American during the 1999-2000 season.
FIRST TEAM
Seimone Augustus, LSU, 6-1, senior
Ivory Latta, North Carolina, 5-6, junior
Cappie Pondexter, Rutgers, 5-9, senior
Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, 6-4, freshman
Sophia Young, Baylor, 6-1, senior
SECOND TEAM
Jessica Davenport, Ohio State, 6-5, junior
Monique Currie, Duke, 6-0, senior
Candice Wiggins, Stanford, 5-11, sophomore
Candace Parker, Tennessee, 6-3, freshman
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland, 6-2, sophomore
THIRD TEAM
Sylvia Fowles, LSU, 6-6, sophomore
Tasha Humphrey, Georgia, 6-3, sophomore
Khara Smith, DePaul, 6-2, senior
Kim Smith, Utah, 6-1, senior
Candice Dupree, Temple, 6-2, senior
HONORABLE MENTION
Ambrosia Anderson, BYU; La'Tangela Atkinson, North Carolina; Sherill Baker, Georgia; Nikki Blue, UCLA; Melanie Boeglin, Indiana State; Tara Boothe, Xavier. Meg Bulger, West Virginia; LaToya Davis, Texas Tech; Jessica Dickson, South Florida; Megan Duffy, Notre Dame; Katie Gearlds, Purdue; Erin Grant, Texas Tech. Lindsey Harding, Duke; Tiffany Jackson, Texas; Tamara James, Miami; Erlana Larkins, North Carolina; Camille Little, North Carolina; Lyndsey Medders, Iowa State. Leilani Mitchell, Idaho; Noelle Quinn, UCLA; Jillian Robbins, Tulsa; Liz Shimek, Michigan State; Brooke Smith, Stanford; Ann Strother, Connecticut. Shona Thorburn, Utah; Tasha Williams, Louisiana Tech; Lisa Willis, UCLA; Shanna Zolman, Tennessee.