Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

LOS ANGELES -- The University of Delaware’s freshman Elena Delle Donne was one of the top 21 candidates for the Women’s John R. Wooden Award, the nation’s most coveted college basketball honor, named today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club’s John R. Wooden Award Committee. Because of a tie in the voting, 21 players were named rather than the traditional 20. Composed of the players who will compete for this season’s player of the year award, the midseason list is based on individual excellence and team record during the first half of the season. Delle Donne (at right) leads the 10-4 Blue Hens, ranks second in the Colonial Athletic Association and fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 24.7 points per game. She has recorded six double-doubles this season, while averaging 9.6 rebounds per game to lead the conference and rank 36th nationally.

Delle Donne who doubles as a Naismith National Player of the Year candidate, has been named the CAA Player and/or Rookie of the Week on four different occasions this season. The 6-5 Wilmington, Del. native not only leads the conference in rebounding (9.6 rpg), but also defensive rebounds (7.0 rpg) and minutes played (37.7 mpg).

Delle Donne leads the nation having scored 38.6 percent of her teams’ points in games in which she has played. The forward/guard has scored 296 of the Hens’ 766 points scored in her 12 active games. She is also the only player in the nation to rank in the top 100 in each of the three shooting percentages: field goals (54th), three-pointers (35th), and free throws (17th).

In addition to Delle Donne, the CAA was also represented by James Madison’s Dawn Evans, the nation’s leading scorer at 26.4 points per game, and Drexel’s Gabriela Marginean.

The Big East leads the Midseason Top 20 with four players selected. The CAA and ACC each had three players selected, and the Pac-10, Big 10, SEC and Big 12 had two players each. The Sun Belt, Atlantic 10 and West Coast Conferences had one player chosen. Overall, 48 different players from 36 schools received votes.

Among the Midseason Top 20 candidates are returning Wooden Award winner Maya Moore of No. 1-ranked Connecticut (19.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and her teammate, center Tina Charles (17.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg). No. 2 Stanford also had two players selected, center Jayne Appel and forward Kayla Pedersen. Four 2009 National Ballot honorees were named as 2009-10 midseason candidates: Appel, Alysha Clark (Middle Tennessee), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), and Monica Wright (Virginia).

More than 300 voters, comprised of sports media members and college basketball experts from across the nation, will cast their votes to determine both the five-member All-American Team and Player of the Year. In late March, the 10-player Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced.

The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winner, and the presentation of the Legends of Coaching Award to Florida’s Billy Donovan, will take place on April 9, 2010. 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 cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), and Blake Griffin (’09). Tennessee’s Candace Parker won the Women’s Wooden Award in 2007 and 2008.

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 all day tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All-Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award weekend.

Delaware will next take the court at the Bob Carpenter Center, Thursday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. to take on the UNC Wilmington Seahawks.

For more information, please visit: www.woodenaward.com

John R. Wooden Midseason Top 20: Jayne Appel - Stanford, Pac-10; Ashley Barlow - Notre Dame, Big East; Tina Charles - Connecticut, Big East; Alysha Clark - Middle Tennessee, Sun Belt; Cetera DeGraffenreid - North Carolina, ACC; Allyssa DeHaan - Michigan State, Big Ten; Elena Delle Donne - Delaware, CAA; Dawn Evans - James Madison, CAA; Kelsey Griffin - Nebraska, Big 12; Brittney Griner - Baylor, Big 12; Amber Harris - Xavier, Atlantic 10; Allison Hightower - Louisiana State, SEC; Jantel Lavender - Ohio State, Big Ten; Gabriela Marginean - Drexel, CAA; Maya Moore - Connecticut, Big East; Kayla Pedersen - Stanford, Pac-10; Brittany Ray - Rutgers, Big East; Shekinna Stricklen - Tennessee, SEC; Jasmine Thomas - Duke, ACC; Courtney Vandersloot - Gonzaga, WCC; Monica Wright - Virginia, ACC.