Five former BIG EAST women’s basketball players were named to the WNBA First and Second teams on Oct. 4. Angel McCoughtry, Tina Charles and Diana Taurasi were named to the First Team while Sue Bird and Cappie Pondexter are members of the Second Team.
McCoughtry, a 2009 Louisville graduate, received 172 points in the vote, the second-highest among all players. She ranks second in the league in scoring, averaging 21.56 points, to go along with 5.2 rebounds per game and 2.2 steals per game.
Charles finished in third place in the votes with 166. The former UConn star and 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year captured her second consecutive rebounding title, averaging 11.0 rebounds per game.
Taurasi, a UConn graduate, earned her fourth consecutive, and fifth overall, Peak Performer Award for scoring after averaging 21.63 ppg in 2011.
This marks the seventh First Team honor for Taurasi and the first for both McCoughtry and Charles.
Bird of Connecticut and Pondexter of Rutgers earned 123 and 93 points, respectively, to earn spots on the 2011 second team.
Voting for the All-WNBA First and Second Teams was conducted by a panel of national and local sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were selected by position and received five points for each First Team vote and three points for each Second Team designation.
