Anderson Honored At WBCA Luncheon in Tampa
April 08, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Jolene Anderson, a senior guard from University of Wisconsin, was honored today as the 2008 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's outstanding female collegian 5'8" and under who has excelled both athletically and academically.
Accompanied by the UW coaching staff, Anderson received her award at the Women's Basketball Coaches Awards luncheon taking place at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa, Fla. It is the first national award ever won by a University of Wisconsin women's basketball player.
Anderson, a native of tiny Port Wing, Wis., in the state's most northern province, has led the Badgers in scoring for four years and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year by the media in 2008. She is a two-time Big Ten scoring champion this year averaging 19.6 points per game in conference only games. She is a two-year first-team All-Big Ten performer and Wisconsin's all-time scoring leader for men and women with 2,267 points.
A three-time USA Basketball gold medal winner, Anderson earned first team All-Big Ten honors and was a Kodak All-America Team Honorable Mention honoree in 2006-07. She became UW 's first Big Ten scoring champion with her 19.3 points per game in 16 conference games. She also led the Badgers in rebounding and steals.
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is named in honor of James Naismith's daughter-in-law. A panel of representatives from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association selects the recipient. To earn the award, the recipient must demonstrate leadership, character, loyalty, all-around basketball ability and excellence in the classroom.
Despite not attending school during the summers due to USA Basketball commitments, Anderson will graduate in four years this May with a degree in sociology. Throughout her basketball career she has been involved in community service activities collecting over 80 hours in such activities as Ronald McDonald House, YMCA, Bookin' It with Bucky reading groups, kids' day clinics and fun days on the UW campus.
With her college career completed, Anderson has entered the WNBA draft which takes place Wed., April 9 at noon CT and broadcast on ESPN2.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame pays tribute to the game's inventor, Dr. James Naismith. Located in Springfield, Mass., "the Birthplace of Basketball", the world's only Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves men's and women's basketball at every level - professional, collegiate, scholastic, Olympic, international and wheelchair.
Previous Women Winners of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
1984 Kim Mulkey, Louisiana Tech
1985 Maria Stack, Gonzaga
1986 Kamie Ethridge, Texas
1987 Rhonda Windham, Southern California
1988 Suzie McConnell, Penn State
1989 Paulette Backstrom, Bowling Green
1990 Julie Dabrowski, New Hampshire College
1991 Shanya Evans, Providence College
1992 Rosemary Kisorek, West Virginia
1993 Dena Evans, Virginia
1994 Nicole Levesque, Wake Forest
1995 Amy Dodrill, Johns Hopkins
1996 Jennifer Rizzotti, University of Connecticut
1997 Jennifer Howard, North Carolina State \
1998 Angie Arnold, Johns Hopkins
1999 Becky Hammon, Colorado State
2000 Helen Darling, Penn State
2001 Niele Ivey, Notre Dame
2002 Sheila Lambert, Baylor
2003 Kara Lawson, Tennessee
2004 Erika Valek, Purdue
2005 Tan White, Mississippi State
2006 Megan Duffy, Notre Dame
2007 Lindsey Harding, Duke University
2008 Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin
