Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has selected Duke University’s Lindsey Harding as the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year. The WBCA Defensive Player of the Year Award honors the best defensive collegiate Division I women’s basketball player. All Division I Conference Defensive Player’s of the Year are eligible to be nominated for the award and the selection committee makes the final decision on the winner.

“The old adage, ‘Offense sells tickets, defense wins games’, holds true when Lindsey Harding hits the court,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “The WBCA is elated to present the inaugural WBCA Defensive Player of the Year Award to Lindsey for her ravenous defensive efforts.”

Harding has not only garnered national recognition for herself, but was a key factor to Duke’s success throughout the season. This Houston, Texas, native helped to lead the Blue Devils to a No. 1 National Ranking in the USA TODAY ESPN NCAA Division I Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. Her defensive efforts also led Duke to the nation’s second-best scoring defense, as the squad held opponents to an average of 51.4 points per game.

For her outstanding play this season, Harding was selected as the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was named an All-ACC First Team selection. She averaged 13.6 points, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. This season, Harding became only the sixth player in ACC history to register over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 250 steals.

Harding will be formally recognized at the WBCA Awards Luncheon presented by State Farm and Jostens at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, April 3, 2007, in the Crowne Plaza’s Grand Ballroom. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women’s Final Four® in Cleveland, Ohio.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA 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 in all of its aspects as a sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.