Angel McCoughtry: Pre-Season All American
By Sonja Sykes
The Associated Press now acknowledges the skills of Angel McCoughtry but she says it’s not about her.
McCoughtry, a senior forward on the University of Louisville women’s basketball team, has been selected to the AP All-American first team. She collected the third most votes, behind Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris and UConn’s Maya Moore. It’s her second visit to the AP list, collecting second team honors last year.
It’s also a nod to the “Yes we can” philosophy that Angel carries with her these days about her and her teammates.
“I’m humbled by this honor. It was a dream of mine to bring national recognition to Louisville women’s basketball.” she commented yesterday. Note the wording of the statement. Not about her, not about the pride of the recognition, but about Louisville women’s basketball.
For Angel, the past two seasons have been all about the “yes we can…look what we can do” scenario. It was evident Monday night in the Lady Cards scrimmage. Barking out positioning and sets to the younger players on the court. Giving the high fives and hugs when teammates made big plays. Passing on shots to give other teammates the opportunity. In short, fulfilling the needs of the team, not the needs of the self.
Angel will be the “go to” crunch time player this year as she has been since her sophomore year. But she’ll do it in a team concept and won’t hesitate giving up the ball to the open player. Witness the Rutgers game last year in the Big East tournament. With seconds remaining and the game on the line, she was positioned…driving to the basket for a crucial shot..soaring through the air toward the hoop…and then tossing the ball to a wide open Candyce Bingham for an easy basket. It spoke volumes about the unselfishness, the team mind set and the maturity of the Cards leader.
Congratulations to Angel for another in a long list of accomplishments. An award and honor that she’ll enjoy briefly, and then return to the concentration and focus of making her team on the court the best they can be.
About the Author: Sonja Sykes is an avid fan of University of Louisville athletics, especially the women's basketball team.
