STEVENS POINT, Wis. – UW-Stevens Point senior guard Sam Barber (Schofield, WI/D.C. Everest/Winona St.) received her first accolade of the 2012-13 season on Sunday, before the Pointers even played an official game. The Schofield, Wis., native was named a First Team D3hoops.com Preseason All-American.
Barber, the reigning Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Player of the Year, helped power the Pointers to a 24-5 overall record a season ago, as the team earned its fifth straight conference tournament championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Sam is a very gifted student-athlete,” said head coach Shirley Egner. “She has a great skill set and can play inside or outside. When she is in a zone, she's pretty much unstoppable. Sam is definitely deserving of this honor and she's going to have to carry some weight for us this season.”
Last year, Barber led the Pointers in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game, the second-best scoring average in the WIAC, and led the team in rebounding average, collecting nearly 6.3 rebounds per game.
A First Team D3hoops.com All-Region honoree, Second Team D3hoops.com All-American, and Honorable Mention Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-American at the end of last season, Barber led the conference with a .434 three-point field goal percentage on her way to being named to two all-tournament squads.
“It is pretty exciting,” said Barber. “I didn't even know there was such a thing as a preseason All-American team. This gives me a big goal to try and accomplish. I just want to work hard every day to accomplish this.”
“I think this award has a lot to do with our team success over the years,” said Egner, whose team is the preseason choice to win the 2013 WIAC women's basketball crown.
As a team, the Pointers finished last season ranked in the top 20 nationally in assist-turnover ratio (+1.04), field goal percentage (.439), and assists per game (16.4). The Pointers also finished ranked in the nation's top 25 academically and athletically a season ago.
UWSP begins the season against Millikin on Friday, Nov. 16.
COURTESY UW-STEVENS POINT
