Leilani Mitchell, a guard for the University of Idaho women's basketball team, has been selected to the Associated Press All-America team as an Honorable Mention.
Mitchell, a junior from Kennewick (Wash.) High School, joins former teammate Emily Faurholt as just the second Idaho women's basketball player to receive such recognition from the national media.
"It's an honor to be recognized on the national level and it is great for our team," Mitchell said. "This is not my award because my team does so much to make me a better player."
In Idaho's first season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, Mitchell tied for the conference lead for scoring (17.6 points per game) and currently ranks in the top 50 nationally in three categories, including No. 2 for steals (4.0 steals per game), No. 18 for assists (5.6 assists per game) and No. 49 for points. She also set the WAC record for single-season steals average and tied the single-season steals record with 115.
"The recognition is awesome and is very well deserved," Idaho head coach Mike Divilbiss said. "We feel Leilani is one of the best point guards in the country and this is a great statement about who she is as a player. It's also a great statement about the program because the only two AP All-Americans the program has ever had have played here since we have come."
The Vandal women's basketball team has now placed six players on various All-America teams in its 32-year existence. Denise Brose was selected as an AIAW First Team All-American for the 1981-82 season and as a District VII First Team All-American for the 1982-83 season. Mary Raese and Mary Westerville were both selected as District VII First Team All-American's during the 1985-86 season when the Vandals won the WNIT. Alli Nieman has been honored as an All-American three times in her career. She was honored as a Kodak All-America Honorable Mention and a District VIII First Team All-American during the 1998-99 season, and was again selected as a District VIII First Team All-American during the 1999-2000 season.
Mitchell is also one of 11 finalists for the 7th Annual Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation's top point guard, and is a Region-7 finalist for the WBCA/Kodak All-America Team.
Louisiana Tech's Tasha Williams was the only other WAC player selected for the AP honor.
