UConn freshman heads AP All-America team

Maya Moore joined repeaters Candace Parker and Courtney Paris.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Connecticut’s Maya Moore became only the second freshman selected to The Associated Press women’s All-America team, an honor her coach hoped would not prove a burden during the NCAA tournament.

Moore was joined on the squad Tuesday by repeat All-Americans Candace Parker of Tennessee and Courtney Paris of Oklahoma and first-timers Sylvia Fowles of LSU and Candice Wiggins of Stanford.

To avoid further pressure, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma didn’t want Moore to know of her selection until after the Huskies played Rutgers in the Greensboro Regional final Tuesday night.

“I think given the circumstances, given the spotlight she plays under, I just think she’s matured beyond her years and I don’t know if any kid has had an impact on a team that she’s had,” Auriemma said. “I think the term ‘All-American’ back in the day meant more than just a player.”

Moore helped lead the Huskies to the Big East regular season and conference tournament titles. She was the first freshman — male or female — to win conference player of the year.

Moore broke the conference and school freshman scoring record and has averaged 22 points and 10.3 rebounds in the Huskies’ first three NCAA tournament games.

“If you look at what she’s done for this program, and how she conducts herself, she’s everyone’s All-American,” Auriemma said.

The only other freshman All-American was Paris, a first-teamer for the third straight season. Paris is only the third player to be a three-time All-American, joining Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee and Alana Beard of Duke.

Parker, also a junior, received 250 points and was the only unanimous first-team choice among the 50-member national media panel that votes in the weekly Top 25. The voting was done before the start of the NCAA tournament.

Wiggins helped the Cardinal win their eighth straight Pac-10 title and became the conference’s all-time scoring leader.

Fowles averaged 17 points and helped lead LSU to its fifth straight Final Four.

The second team had an ACC flavor, with conference player of the year Crystal Langhorne and Maryland teammate Kristi Toliver leading the way. North Carolina senior Erlana Larkins, Louisville junior Angel McCoughtry and Oklahoma State sophomore Andrea Riley complete the second team.

The third team included Connecticut teammates Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery. They were joined by Rutgers’ Epiphanny Prince, Middle Tennessee State’s Amber Holt, and Utah’s Leilani Mitchell.