2009–10 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 2009–10 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team will represent the University of Pittsburgh
in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
. The Panthers will be coached by Agnus Berenato
. The Panthers are a member of the Big East Conference
and play their home games at the Petersen Events Center
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
appearance and a final #15 national ranking in both the AP
and Coaches' polls. Point guard junior Jania Sims was injured during the first game of the season and redshirted
. Pitt graduated all-time leading scorer Shavonte Zellous
who was a first round draft pick by the WNBA's Detroit Shock
. Pitt also graduated second team all-Big East guard Xenia Stewart.
|-
!colspan=9| Exhibition
|-
!colspan=9| Regular Season
|-
!colspan=9| Postseason†
Big East Women's Basketball Championship
|-
!colspan=9| Women's National Invitation Tournament
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
The 2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season began in November 2009 and ended with the 2010 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 6, 2010 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The tournament opened with the first and second rounds on Thursday through Sunday,...
. The Panthers will be coached by Agnus Berenato
Agnus Berenato
Agnus Berenato , is the head women's basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh, a role she has held since 2003.-Early life and education:Berenato is the eighth of ten children born to Peter and Theresa McGlade...
. The Panthers are a member of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
and play their home games at the Petersen Events Center
Petersen Events Center
Not to be confused with Petersen Sports Complex.The John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It hosts the men's and women's Pitt Panthers basketball teams...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Previous season
The 2008-09 Pitt women's basketball went 25-8, a program record number of wins, en route to Pitt's second consecutive NCAA Sweet 162009 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The regionals, held in the city rather than the geographic area as a practice that has been used since 2005, were held there from March 28 to 31 at these sites:...
appearance and a final #15 national ranking in both the AP
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
and Coaches' polls. Point guard junior Jania Sims was injured during the first game of the season and redshirted
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
. Pitt graduated all-time leading scorer Shavonte Zellous
Shavonte Zellous
Shavonte Zellous is an American professional basketball player. She currently plays the guard position for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA and previously was a standout basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh. Zellous was drafted 11th in the first round of the 2009 WNBA Draft by the Shock...
who was a first round draft pick by the WNBA's Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
. Pitt also graduated second team all-Big East guard Xenia Stewart.
Offseason
- May 19: Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Seton Hill UniversitySeton Hill UniversitySeton Hill University is a small Catholic liberal arts university of about 2100 students in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Formerly a women's college, it became a coeducational university in 2002....
. Berenato was recognized for her efforts in building the Panthers program into a national success. Her honorary diploma was presented to her by Seton Hill President JoAnne W. Boyle, Ph.D., it stated “Family, colleagues, students and friends describe you as ‘genuine,’ ‘a master motivator,’ ‘a live ball of action,’ ‘a real go-getter,’ ‘loyal,’ and finally ‘amazing.’” - May 22: Shavonte Zellous' jersey was announced that it would be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of FameWomen's Basketball Hall of FameThe Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors men and women who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA...
's "Ring of Honor". - July 16, 2009: Pitt sophomore center Shawnice "Pepper" Wilson was named a finalist for the USA Basketball U19 World Championship TeamUSA Women's U18 and U19 teamsThe USA Women's U18 and U19 teams are two of the teams under the auspices of the USA Basketball organization. The team names refer to the age limits for the invited players...
. Wilson participated in trials at the United States Olympic Training CenterUnited States Olympic Training CenterThe United States Olympic Training Centers are three campuses created by the United States Olympic Committee as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Lake Placid, New York; and Chula Vista, California. There is a U.S. Olympic...
in Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, as the group was cut from 27 participants to the 14 finalists, but withdrew due to injury. - August: Head coach Agnus Berenato is selected for and participates in a tour of overseas U.S militaryUnited States armed forcesThe United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
bases with the goal is to boost "the morale and quality of life for deployed military personnel by providing entertainment from the home front." - The Pitt women's basketball team is selected to play on national or regional television seven times for the 2009-10 season, including three games on the ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
family of networks. - Two freshman recruits joined the team: 5'9" guard Ashlee Anderson from ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, ILIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and 6'5" center Leeza Burdgess from Miami, FLFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Roster
| Number | Name | Height | Position | Class | Hometown |
| 23 | Ashlee Anderson | 5-9 | Guard | Freshman | Chicago, IL |
| 42 | Leeza Burdgess | 6-5 | Center | Freshman | Miami, FL |
| 22 | Chelsea Cole | 6-3 | Forward | Junior | Lumberton, NJ |
| 10 | Taneisha Harrison | 6-0 | Guard | Junior | Bowie, MD |
| 32 | Selena Nwude | 6-5 | Center | Junior (RS Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility... ) |
Riverdale, MD |
| 24 | Sarah Ogoke | 5-9 | Guard | Sophomore | Sugar Land, TX |
| 50 | Kate Popovec | 6-3 | Center | Sophomore | Canfield, OH |
| 2 | Sophronia Sallard | 5-10 | Guard/Forward | Senior (RS) | Syracuse, NY |
| 25 | Shayla Scott | 6-1 | Guard | Junior | Monroeville, PA |
| 14 | Jania Sims | 5-7 | Guard | Junior (RS) | Newark, NJ |
| 12 | Brittaney Thomas | 5-8 | Guard | Senior (RS) | Montgomery, AL |
| 40 | Shawnice "Pepper" Wilson | 6-6 | Center | Sophomore | Pittsburgh, PA |
Schedule
Pitt's 2009-10 schedule.|-
!colspan=9| Exhibition
|-
!colspan=9| Regular Season
|-
!colspan=9| Postseason†
Big East Women's Basketball Championship
2010 Big East Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2010 Big East Women's Basketball Tournament took place in March 2010 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The winner will receive the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. This was the second consecutive year Big East tournament to include all 16 of the...
|-
!colspan=9| Women's National Invitation Tournament
2010 Women's National Invitation Tournament
The 2010 Women's National Invitation Tournament is a single-elimination tournament of 64 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams that did not participate in the 2010 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. The tournament is played entirely on campus sites...
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | WK 17 | Wk 18 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | rv | rv | 24 | 19 | 15 | 21 | 20 | 20 | rv | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Coaches | 22 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 22 | rv | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Player stats
| Player | Games Played | Minutes | Field Goals | Three Pointers | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | Points |
See also
- Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketballPittsburgh Panthers women's basketballPittsburgh Panthers women's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate women's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt women's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games...
- Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketballPittsburgh Panthers men's basketballPittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in...
- 2009–10 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team2009–10 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball teamThe 2009-10 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their Head Coach was Jamie Dixon, who was in his 7th year as head coach at Pittsburgh and 11th overall at the University...
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
- Big East ConferenceBig East ConferenceThe Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...