Thursday, March 26, 2009

ATLANTA, Ga. (March 26, 2009) - Junior guard Siarre Evans (Griffin, Ga.) moved one step closer to becoming an All-American at East Tennessee State University on Thursday afternoon.

Evans was announced as one of the finalists for the 2009 State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.  The 40 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA-member coaches in each of the eight WBCA geographical regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.

The Griffin, Ga. native compiled an outstanding season in 2008-09, as she was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference, Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP, two-time Atlantic Sun Player of the Week and WBCA National Player of the Month Honorable mention.

Evans was the only player in the conference to average a double-double - finishing the year with 16.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Evans' 16.4 points per game was also strong enough to win the league's scoring title, and she became the first Lady Buccaneer player to reach 500 points in one season since B.J. Banjo accomplished the feat in 2006.

The A-Sun Player of the Year compiled 18 double-doubles and scored in double figures 27 times this year. Evans also posted 20 games with 10-plus rebounds and 10 games with 20 or more points - including a career-high 35-point effort at USC Upstate in late February.

Evans will be competing with the likes of Connecticut's Maya Moore and Renee Montgomery, Oklahoma's Courtney Paris, Rashanda McCants from North Carolina, Alysha Clark from Middle Tennessee State, Epiphanny Prince and Kia Vaughn from Rutgers and Maryland's Kristi Toliver.

The State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division I will be announced at the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Press Conference on April 4, at 9:45 a.m. CT in St. Louis, Mo. 

About State Farm
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve more than 78 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.

About the WBCA
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 as a sport for women and girls.  For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.

For more information on Lady Buccaneer basketball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.