NEWARK, Del. -- University of Delaware women’s basketball head coach Tina Martin announced Tuesday that former USA Today National Player of the Year Elena Delle Donne has joined the UD program and will compete for the Blue Hens during the upcoming 2009-10 season.

Elena Delle Donne (pronounced “a-layna della-don”), a 6-5 forward who starred for five seasons at nearby Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Del., will have freshman eligibility with the Blue Hens and will join a team that returns its top 10 scorers from last year’s 15-15 campaign.

“We are thrilled that Elena will be playing basketball at the University of Delaware,” said Martin, who has led the Blue Hens to seven 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and four Women’s National Invitation Tournament berths in her 13-year tenure. “Elena is versatile and has the ability to play multiple positions. She will have an immediate impact on our program with the skills, competitiveness, and athleticism she brings to the team.”

Delle Donne enrolled at Delaware last fall and sat out during the 2008-09 basketball season, deciding to compete for the Blue Hen volleyball team under head coach Bonnie Kenny. The team ended its season with a 19-16 record and earned a second straight CAA Tournament title and berth in the NCAA Tournament as Elena earned CAA All-Rookie honors. She led the team in blocks (.96 per game) and ranked among the team leaders in kills (1.93 per game) and kill percentage (.223).

“I have decided to begin playing basketball for the University of Delaware,” said Delle Donne, an honor student as an elementary education major at Delaware. “I am looking forward to playing again and joining my new teammates this upcoming season. I am extremely excited to be competing in my home state and for Coach Martin. I really enjoyed playing volleyball this past fall but found myself missing basketball. Basketball has been an important part of my life and I realized that it is my first love and my passion.”

Delle Donne enjoyed one of the finest careers of any athlete in Delaware high school history, starring for the Ursuline varsity squad in basketball since the eighth grade and leading the volleyball team to the state title in 2007. She led Ursuline to four state basketball titles, set the all-time state high school girls scoring record with 2,818 points, and established a national record for free throw accuracy by converting 80 straight at one point.

A five-time All-State basketball player, she was named the 2007-08 National Player of the Year by the Naismith, McDonald’s, and Gatorade foundations as well as by USA Today and was a two-time selection to the Parade All-American team. She was also a National Honor Society student.

At Delaware, she joins a young and talented squad that made outstanding improvements throughout the 2008-09 despite having just one senior and two juniors on the squad. The top 10 scorers return to the lineup led by third team All-CAA guard Tesia Harris (13.6 points per game) and guard Vanessa Kabongo (10.6) as well as rebounding leader Arienne Jenkins (8.1 rebounds per game).

Delaware will open the 2009-10 season with seven straight non-league road games beginning with a Nov. 17 game at St. Francis (Pa.). The Hens will open the home season Dec. 11 vs. Navy at the Bob Carpenter Center. The entire 2009-10 schedule will be announced later this summer.

NOTE TO MEDIA: To arrange interviews with Elena Delle Donne, please contact Andrea Boyle at the UD Office of Communications and Marketing at: 302-831-1421 (office), 302-690-5138 (cell), or aboyle@udel.edu (email). To arrange an interview with Coach Tina Martin, contact Scott Selheimer at 302-831-8007 (office), 302-562-5129 (cell), or selheime@udel.edu (email).