More great news for the #Gophers! @rachelbanham15 named to the @WoodenAward Preseason Top 30: http://t.co/sz5Y7arow8 pic.twitter.com/f93sQVIC4u
— Minnesota Women's Basketball (@GopherWBB) November 24, 2014
Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball star Rachel Banham was already considered one of the top players in the country, but now her name is attached to college basketball’s top individual award.
On Tuesday, Banham, the senior point guard from Lakeville, was named to Preseason Top 30 list for the John R. Wooden Award, according to WCCO. The award goes to the best player in country. The 30 players are picked by a panel of women’s college basketball media members from across the country.
Banham was on the Top 30 list as a junior last season, too. She advanced to the Wooden Award Final Ballot, which is made up of the Top 15 players in the country. The only other Gophers to make to the final ballot were Lindsay Whalen and Janel McCarville, according to GopherSports.com.
The Gophers are off to a 3-0 start this season, and leading way is Banham with an average of 19.7 points and 7.3 assists per game. She recently topped the 2,000-point mark in her career. Banham is third all-time on the Gophers career points list, and her 2,052 career points are closing in on Whalen’s school record of 2,285.
The Gophers will honor Banham for surpassing 2,000 points before Tuesday night’s game against the Southern Lady Jaguars at Williams Arena.
