Allyssa DeHaan Named to 2009-10 Preseason Wade Watch List

The Big Ten’s all-time blocked shots leader is named to the preseason list for the second-straight season.

 EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women’s basketball senior Allyssa DeHaan was one of 25 student-athletes named to the 2009-10 preseason “Wade Watch” list for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, released today by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). 

 The “Wade Watch” list is made up of top NCAA Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

 DeHaan, who garnered preseason recognition from the WBCA for the second-straight season, is one of four Big Ten student-athletes on the list, joining Ohio State ’s Jantel Lavender and Samantha Prahalis, and Illinois ’ Jenna Smith. The Big Ten tied the ACC, BIG EAST and Pac-10 for the most student-athletes recognized. 

 Already the Michigan State and Big Ten blocked shots leader with 402, DeHaan enters her senior season needing only 78 rejections to tie the NCAA career record. In addition to her defensive presence, DeHaan is only one of five Spartans to be among the MSU top-10 in scoring and rebounding, ranking ninth in points with 1,298 and seventh in rebounds with 726. A three-time All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection, she holds a career line of 12.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game. A human biology major, DeHaan has also excelled off the court, being named to the Academic All-Big Ten and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District teams in each of the last two seasons.

 The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 33rd year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women’s national player of the year award in college basketball. This highly prestigious award, regarded as the “Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” is organized by the WBCA, in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).

 The 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four, in San Antonio , Texas , April 2-6.