UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Lady Lion junior point guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) is among the 30 players named to the John R. Wooden Women’s Preseason Top 30 list for the 2012 Wooden Award for the nation’s top women’s collegiate basketball player, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Monday (Oct. 10). Bentley is one of three Big Ten players (Ohio State’s Samantha Prahalis and Iowa’s Jamie Printy) on the Wooden preseason chart.
Bentley, who is also on the Wade Watch list for the WBCA’s Player of the Year award, was instrumental in helping the Lady Lions return NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 with a 25-10 record. She became the 11th different Lady Lion to garner All-Big Ten first team honors last season after finishing in the Top 15 in the Big Ten in scoring (12th/14.4), assists (2nd/5.0), field goal percentage (14th/.446), free throw percentage (11th/.798) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th/1.7). Bentley was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals in three tourney contests. Additionally, the Indianapolis native registered seven 20-point games, including a pair of 20-point performances in the NCAA Tournament.
Bentley, who participated in USA Basketball World University Games trials in Colorado this summer, is 14th in school history with 299 career assists. Her 174 helpers last year are 17th on Penn State’s single-season charts. She was a third team All-Big Ten selection and Big Ten All-Freshman team choice as a rookie in 2009-10. Bentley’s 125 helpers her freshman year rank fifth on Penn State’s freshman season chart.
About the John R. Wooden Award Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Candace Parker (’07 and ’08) and Maya Moore of Connecticut (’09 and ’11). UConn’s Maya Moore (’11) won the women’s Award in 2011.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the All American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award’s name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.
Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5206 or email at woodenaward@laac.net.
The 2012 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26 as the Lady Lions take on Minnesota in the Bryce Jordan Center. Last year, the Lady Lions donated nearly $200,000 for breast cancer causes. This year’s fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. The WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pinkzoneatpennstate.