The Class of the Classes in Women's College Basketball

College basketball practice starts Friday, teams around the nation beginning their full-time preparation for the 2009-2010 season.

Here's a breakdown of the top five women's players in each class and a list of five outstanding players who are flying under the radar.


Top Seniors

Tina Charles, Connecticut, C: Charles, the player who has spent the first half of her career in Geno Auriemma's doghouse, has found her groove. She was a star with the U.S. teams this summer. She led the World University team to a gold medal and was the only active college player to go to Russia with the U.S. senior team.

Jayne Appel, Stanford, C: Appel, recovering from offseason knee surgery, looks like the only player who could unseat either Charles or Moore for Player of the Year. With Appel as the starting center, Stanford has been to two straight Final Fours and is looking legitimate for a third.

Alexis Gray-Lawson, Cal, G: Gray-Lawson, the fifth-year senior, is playing on a new Bears team with six freshmen on the roster. When she's on, she's unstoppable. Just ask Stanford. Last year, Gray-Lawson went for 37 against the Cardinal.

Monica Wright, Virginia, F: Wright led the ACC in scoring last season at 20.5 points per game and is on pace to break Dawn Staley's school scoring record.

Danielle McCray, Kansas, F: McCray was picked as the Big 12's Preseason Player of the Year after leading the Jayhawks to the WNIT title game. She averaged 21.6 points and 7.7 rebounds a game last season.

Top Juniors

Maya Moore, Connecticut, F: Moore, the 6-foot forward, is the favorite to repeat as national player of the year. She is Connecticut's all-everything, do-everything player. She averaged 19.3 points and 8.9 rebounds a game with a team-leading 76 steals.

Kayla Pedersen, Stanford, F: Pedersen is big, versatile and poised. She can play the post or the wing, rebounds among the best in the country and is a calming influence on the floor.

Jantel Lavender, Ohio State, C: The Buckeyes' center is the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, and the centerpiece for a team that's ranked as high as No. 3 in the preseason polls. Lavender finished 2008-09 with 24 double-doubles last year.

Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma, G: Robinson becomes the Sooners' leader with the departure of the Paris twins. She dished out more than 200 assists last year, was a first-team All-Big 12 pick and spent part of her summer playing with Team USA for the gold-medal winning World University team.

Ta'Shia Phillips, Xavier, C: Phillips, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, averaged 13.9 points and 12.1 rebounds a year ago. She was fourth in the country in rebounding and field-goal percentage (61.3) and averaged 18 points and 18.5 rebounds in Xavier's NCAA Tournament games.

Top Sophomores

Nneka Ogwumike, Stanford, F: Ogwumike, the long and athletic forward, was the star of the U.S. U-19 team that won the world championship last summer. She will be the X-factor in Stanford's season.

Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State, G: The Ohio State point guard has flash, swagger and game. Prahalis set a school freshman record with 203 assists. She is also the only sophomore chosen to the preseason Wooden Award list.

Tiffany Hayes, Connecticut, G: Hayes, a promising shooting guard in her freshman season, may end up with the big burden of replacing Renee Montgomery as the Huskies' floor general. Hayes started 10 games last season, hit 37.4 percent of her 3-point attempts and was third on the team in assists behind Moore and Montgomery.

Whitney Hand, Oklahoma, G: Hand was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and proved a fearless shooter in her first season. She hit a team-leading 62 3-pointers, and made 83 percent of her free throws.

Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee, F/G: Stricklen was the national freshman of the year who will likely be at the forefront of a Tennessee comeback this season. Stricklen led the Lady Vols in scoring (13.3 ppg) and was only the 11th freshman ever to start for Pat Summitt. Her average of 31.5 minutes per game was the most for a rookie in school history.

Top Freshmen

Brittney Griner, Baylor, C: The next "it" girl in women's basketball, Griner will be one of the most closely watched players in the country this year for a rebuilding team that needs her to be great right away. She's 6-foot-8, can dunk and will be playing in a glaring spotlight.

Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame, G: The point guard from South Bend is staying close to home and will be playing with big expectations after being named Gatorade Player of the Year and the MVP of the McDonald's and WBCA All-American games. She averaged 29.0 points per games in her senior season for Washington High.

Kelsey Bone, South Carolina, C: Bone, the No. 2-ranked prep player in the nation last year behind Griner, has chosen to spend her college career learning under legend Dawn Staley. The McDonald's All-American led Dulles High in Texas to a 36-3 record, averaging 19 points, 8.6 rebounds a game.

Markel Walker, UCLA., F: Walker is the biggest recruit landed by new Bruins coach Nikki Caldwell. At 6-1, she's athletic and explosive, averaging 26.0 points a game last year, and should fit nicely into the Bruins' roster, particularly in Caldwell's pressure-defense gameplan.

Cokie Reed, Texas, C: The Waco native is staying close to home and will play both forward and center for the Longhorns. She averaging 14.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks in leading Midway HS to the Texas state title.

Ever Heard Of?

Heather Bowman, Gonzaga, F: The Zags' senior forward is the hometown girl made good. The Spokane native averaged a team-leading 19.8 points and 7.9 rebounds a game as a junior. She's been named to the Wooden Award preseason list of the top 30 players in the country.

Ify Ibekwe, Arizona, F: Ibekwe was among the top rebounders in the country last year, averaging 11.6 per game, a school record. She also was the Pac-10's second-leading scorer at 15.7 points and was the Wildcats' first all-conference, first-team pick since 2005.

Alysha Clark, Middle Tennessee State, F: The NCAA's leading scorer last season at 27.5 points a game, Clark became the first Blue Raiders player to be named the Tennessee State Player of the Year, scoring an NCAA season-high 50 points against Troy on Feb. 11.

Gabriela Marginean, Drexel, F: The junior wing from Romania was the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year and finished third in the nation in scoring last year (23.3 points) and is 47 points shy of the school scoring record.

Jene Morris, San Diego State, G: The dynamic guard is the star of the Aztecs' up-and-coming team. She was the Mountain West Conference's Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 16.1 points a game and collecting 100 steals last season as SDSU made the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round.