SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 7, 2013) – Alex Bentley, a 5-foot-7 guard for the Penn State University Lady Lions, is the 2013 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, which is presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's outstanding female collegian 5-feet-8-inches and under who has excelled both athletically and academically.
The Indianapolis, Ind., native has received a plethora of basketball honors at Penn State including being named to the State Farm® Wade Trophy watch list in back-to-back seasons, three-time Big Ten All-First Team member (coaches), 2012-13 Wooden Top 30 List, 2012-13 Naismith Early Season Watch List, 2011-12 WBCA Honorable Mention Coaches’ All-America, Big Ten All-Defensive Team member the past two seasons and a two-time Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.
Bentley has helped lead the Lady Lions to a top 10 ranking in both the AP media and USA TODAY Sports Coaches’ Top 25 polls with a 24-4 overall record and a 14-2 mark in Big Ten conference play. Penn State is ranked second in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage (39.3). Her 3.7 steals per game is fourth in the nation and she is ranked third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (1.8). She is also ranked ninth in the conference in assists per game (3.6) and free throw percentage (.813).
Additionally, Bentley has averaged 14.0 points per game on the season, which is second best on the team.
Off the court the broadcast journalism major has volunteered her time by visiting local hospitals, speaking at local elementary schools, working with Special Olympics, the YMCA, the Centre County Women’s Resource Center and participating in a variety of basketball clinics in the University Park, Pa., area.
Basketball Hall of Fame President and CEO John Doleva commented, “Alex Bentley represents all the finest qualities of a four-year student-athlete. Her leadership translates from the court to the classroom and back again. We are proud to honor Alex as the 2013 Pomeroy-Naismith award winner.”
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is named in honor of basketball inventor Dr. James Naismith's daughter-in-law. A panel of representatives from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) selects the recipient. To earn the award, the recipient must demonstrate leadership, character, loyalty, all-around basketball ability and excellence in the classroom.
Bentley will be formally recognized during the third annual WBCA Awards Show, which will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, April 8, in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s New Orleans Theater. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women’s Final Four® in New Orleans.
Previous 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, 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
2008 - Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin
2009 - Renee Montgomery, Connecticut
2010 - Alexis Gray-Lawson, Cal-Berkeley
2011 - Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga
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2012 - Tavelyn James, Eastern Michigan
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About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Birthplace of Basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate, men and women.
For more information:
Visit us on the web: www.hoophall.com
… on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BBHOF
… on Twitter: @hoophall
… or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.
