TAMPA, Fla. — Stanford senior guard Candice Wiggins couldn’t have been more surprised Saturday morning in Tampa when she won the 2008 State Farm Wade Trophy, presented to the best collegiate women’s basketball player.
Wiggins put her hands over mouth in shock, acknowledging later that she expected Tennessee junior forward Candace Parker to win. Parker won the award last year and was expected by many to repeat.
“If anyone had bet their house on it, they probably would have bet Candace to win,” Wiggins said.
LSU senior center Sylvia Fowles was also up for award, which was presented in Tampa as part of the 2008 Final Four.
Seimone Augustus is the sole LSU player to have won the Wade Trophy.
“I’m very happy for Candice,” Fowles said after the ceremony. “She’s a great person with a very outgoing personality. She definitely deserves it.”
Wiggins has led the Cardinal to their first Final Four appearance since 1997. Wiggins is the PAC-10’s leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game.
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and State Farm also announced the 2008 All-America team. The team included Fowles, Parker, Wiggins, Connecticut’s Rennee Montgomery and Maya Moore, Maryland’s Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver, North Carolina’s Erlana Larkins, Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry, and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris.
Each player gave brief comments about the honor, and Fowles acknowledged the road to success wasn’t always easy.
“[Associate head coach] Bob Starkey used to make me cry every day when I was a freshman,” Fowles said with a laugh. Fowles and the Lady Tigers take on No. 1 seed Tennessee tomorrow night in Tampa for the right to play for the national title.
Check back regularly throughout the tournament for updates from the Final Four