Hooper Added to Wade Trophy Watch List

Nebraska sophomore Jordan Hooper was one of eight women's basketball players nationally added to the 2012 Wade Trophy Watch List on Tuesday.

Hooper, a 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., has helped power the Huskers to a No. 13 national ranking and a 19-3 overall record in their first season in the Big Ten Conference. The Huskers own an 8-2 conference mark thanks in large part to Hooper's 20 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Hooper ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring and leads the conference in rebounding. She also leads the Big Ten with 10 double-doubles on the season and has scored in double figures in all 22 games this season. Hooper also ranks among the Big Ten leaders with 51 three-pointers made on the season - already the second-highest total by a sophomore in school history. Hooper is one of just six sophomores on the 2012 Wade Watch List.

Last season, Hooper averaged 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game to earn a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. She has improved her game in every area on the season and has developed into one of the most explosive players in Nebraska history and a leading contender for Big Ten Player-of-the-Year honors. Hooper scored 30 or more points three times in a four-game stretch this season, becoming just the second player in school history to accomplish that feat. She also became just the second player in school history to grab 15 or more rebounds in back-to-back games.

She is on track to become the first sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-point scoring mark. In fact, Hooper needs just 10 points to match the combined freshman-sophomore season totals of 2010 Wade Trophy finalist Kelsey Griffin and just 54 points to reach the total of 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings at the end of her sophomore season in 1991.

Hooper is one of three Big Ten players added to the 2011-12 State Farm Wade Watch List, joining Ohio State's Samantha Prahalis and Tayler Hill. Anna Martin (DePaul), A'dia Mathies (Kentucky), Khadijah Rushdan (Rutgers), Alyssa Thomas (Maryland) and Julie Wojta (Green Bay) were other additions to the list of 25 "Wade Watch" national player-of-the-year hopefuls from the preseason.

State Farm and the Wade Trophy Coalition present The State Farm Wade Trophy to the nation's most outstanding NCAA® Division I women's basketball player each year - one who not only excels athletically but also serves as a positive role model both on and off the court. The acclaimed Wade Watch list, from which The State Farm Wade Trophy recipient is chosen, consists of players selected on the basis of game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team, and overall playing ability.

The State Farm Wade Watch list will be trimmed to 12 finalists in mid-March. State Farm and the Wade Trophy Coalition will officially announce the State Farm Wade Trophy winner during the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in Denver.

Hooper and the Huskers will be in action at the Devaney Center on Thursday night when Nebraska takes on Michigan. Tip-off between the Huskers and Wolverines is set for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available now at Huskers.com or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED.

2012 State Farm Wade Watch List

Player	Year	Position	Institution
LaSondra Barrett	Senior	Forward	Louisiana State
Alex Bentley	Junior	Guard	Penn State
Cierra Bravard	Senior	Forward	Florida State
Carolyn Davis	Junior	Forward	Kansas
Elena Delle Donne	Junior	Forward	Delaware
Skylar Diggins	Junior	Guard	Notre Dame
Jasmine Dixon	Senior	Forward	UCLA
Stefanie Dolson	Sophomore	Center	Connecticut
Brittney Griner	Junior	Post	Baylor
Keisha Hampton	Senior	Forward	DePaul
Bria Hartley	Sophomore	Guard	Connecticut
Tiffany Hayes	Senior	Guard	Connecticut
Tayler Hill	Junior	Guard	Ohio State
Jordan Hooper	Sophomore	Forward	Nebraska
Glory Johnson	Senior	Forward	Tennessee
Shenise Johnson	Senior	Guard	Miami
Anna Martin	Junior	Guard	DePaul
A'dia Mathies	Junior	Guard	Kentucky
Natalie Novosel	Senior	Guard	Notre Dame
Chiney Ogwumike	Sophomore	Forward	Stanford
Nneka Ogwumike	Senior	Forward	Stanford
Devereaux Peters	Senior	Forward	Notre Dame
Samantha Prahalis	Senior	Guard	Ohio State
Jaime Printy	Junior	Guard	Iowa
Monique Reid	Senior	Forward	Louisville
Sugar Rodgers	Junior	Guard	Georgetown
Khadijah Rushdan	Senior	Guard	Rutgers
Odyssey Sims	Sophomore	Guard	Baylor
Shekinna Stricklen	Senior	Guard	Tennessee
Alyssa Thomas	Sophomore	Forward	Maryland
Tyra White	Senior	Guard	Texas A&M
Riquna Williams	Senior	Guard	Miami
Julie Wojta	Senior	Guard	Wisconsin-Green Bay

The Wade Trophy, named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. The Wade Trophy Coalition was established in June 2000 when the WBCA partnered with The National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). For the past 10 years the two have worked together to present The State Farm Wade Trophy player of the year award. A committee composed of coaches, administrators and media from across the U.S. selects the winner.