Brittney Griner (Baylor) was named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, highlighting the Conference’s 2011-12 Women’s Basketball preseason awards. Kelsey Bone (Texas A&M) was selected Preseason Newcomer of the Year, while Cassie Peoples (Texas) and Alexia Standish (Texas A&M) tied for Preseason Freshman of the Year in a vote of the league’s head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Griner was the 2011 Big 12 Player and Defensive Player of the Year as well as unanimous All-America. The two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection was Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship and named the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association’s Defensive Player of the Year. Griner led Baylor to both the Big 12 regular season and postseason championships, along with an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight. The 6-8 junior center topped the Big 12 with 23 points and seven blocks last year. She enters her junior season 54 blocks shy of setting the Big 12 career record. Griner was the only collegiate player named to the 2011 USA Basketball Women’s National Team European tour roster.
Bone will be a sophomore in athletic eligibility at Texas A&M after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. The 6-5 center averaged 14 points and 9.2 rebounds as a freshman at South Carolina. She was named Second Team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2010. Bone was also selected as a Freshman All-America by Full Court Press.
Peoples was named the 2011 Texas Class 5A-District 17 Most Valuable Player after leading Cy-Fair to a second-place finish in the district and a second round playoff game. The 5-6 guard scored a total of 49 points in her pair of postseason appearances. Peoples and the Lady Bobcats won the Texas Class 5A state championship in 2010. She was selected to compete in the 2011 McDonald’s All-American Game and was most recently named to the USA TODAY All-USA Girls Basketball Third Team.
Standish averaged 23 points, six assists and four steals as a senior at Colleyville (Texas) Heritage High School. She was a 2011 WBCA High School All-America honorable mention selection and played in the TABC Class 5A-4A All-Star Game. The 5-8 guard also was named to the 2011 TGCA All-Star Team. Standish is a two-time TABC Class 5A All-State and All-Region pick. She also earned a gold medal while playing on the 2009 USA Women’s Basketball U16 National Team in Mexico City.
In addition to Griner, the remainder of the Preseason All-Big 12 team includes Odyssey Sims (Baylor), Carolyn Davis (Kansas), Toni Young (Oklahoma State), Chassidy Fussell (Texas) and Tyra White (Texas A&M). A tie in the voting created an additional spot on the team. The squad is dominated by underclassmen as White is the only senior. Sims, Davis and White joined Griner as All-Big 12 First Team selections at the conclusion of last season. Young and Fussell were named to the second team.
Sims won a gold medal with Team USA in the Women’s World University Games this past summer. The team was coached by Iowa State’s Bill Fennelly. She was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. Davis led the Big 12 in field goal percentage (66 percent) in 2010-11 for the second consecutive season. Young topped the Big 12 in rebounds last season (9.1 rpg) while her 14 double-doubles were one off of first place. Fussell had 28 double-digit scoring efforts as a rookie and was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. White was named to the Women’s Final Four All-Tournament Team while helping lead the Aggies to the 2011 national championship. She was also selected to the Phillips 66 Big 12 All-Tournament Team.
2011-12 Big 12 Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason awards
(coaches not allowed to vote for own players)
Preseason Player of the Year
Brittney Griner, Baylor, C, 6-8, Jr., Houston, Texas/Nimitz
Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Kelsey Bone, Texas A&M, C, 6-5, So., Houston, Texas/South Carolina
Preseason Co-Freshmen of the Year
Cassie Peoples, G, 5-6, Texas, Houston, Texas/Cy-Fair
Alexia Standish, G, 5-8, Texas A&M/Colleyville, Texas/Heritage
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Name School Pos Ht Cl-Exp PPG RPG Hometown/Previous School
Brittney Griner Baylor C 6-8 Jr-2L 23.0 7.0 Houston, Texas/Nimitz
Odyssey Sims Baylor G 5-8 So-1L 13.1 3.0 Irving, Texas/MacArthur
Carolyn Davis Kansas F 6-3 Jr-2L 19.0 7.4 Houston, Texas/Bush
Toni Young Oklahoma State G/F 6-2 Jr-2L 15.5 9.1 Del City, Okla./Del City
Chassidy Fussell Texas G 5-10 So-1L 16.2 4.9 Union City, Tenn./Obion County
Tyra White Texas A&M G 6-0 Sr-3L 13.8 5.1 Kansas City, Mo./Hickman Mills
(ties in the voting created an additional spot)
Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically by school): Brittany Chambers and Jalana Childs (Kansas State), Aaryn Ellenberg and Whitney Hand (Oklahoma), Sydney Carter (Texas A&M).
— Big 12 Press Release —