University of North Carolina Athletics
Latta Named First-Team AP All-America
March 29, 2006 | Women's Basketball
March 28, 2006
by The Associated Press
University of North Carolina junior point guard Ivory Latta was named an Associated Press first-team All-America for 2005-06, the AP announced this week. Latta, who led Carolina into the Final Four with Tuesday night's win over Tennessee, is the first Tar Heel to earn first-team AP All-America honors since Tracy Reid in 1998.
A trio of Tar Heels was named AP Honorable Mention All-America, including senior La'Tangela Atkinson, sophomore Erlana Larkins and junior Camille Little.
LSU senior Seimone Augustus was the lone unanimous choice on the team released Tuesday, and the only first-team repeater from last year. Also chosen were Latta, Oklahoma freshman Courtney Paris, Rutgers senior Cappie Pondexter and Baylor senior Sophia Young.
Augustus was a first-team pick on all 46 ballots from the national media panel that votes in the weekly Top 25, receiving the maximum 230 points. Latta had 39 first-team votes and 210 points, while Pondexter had 36 and 207, Paris 30 and 184 and Young 25 and 183.
Tennessee's freshman sensation, Candace Parker, was voted to the second team, along with Duke's Monique Currie, Ohio State's Jessica Davenport, Stanford's Candice Wiggins and Maryland's Crystal Langhorne.
The third team included LSU's Sylvia Fowles, Georgia's Tasha Humphrey, DePaul's Khara Smith, Utah's Kim Smith and Temple's Candice Dupree.
Latta, North Carolina's effervescent 5-6 point guard, averaged 18.4 points and five assists in leading the Tar Heels to the ACC regular-season and tournament championships and their first No. 1 ranking.
"I don't really look at what I've done individually" Latta said. "We're just a total package as a team."
But it wouldn't be the same team without her.
"She's our heart and soul," coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "Her spirit and enthusiasm are what drives us."
The 2005-06 AP women's All-America basketball team with school, height, class and key regular-season statistics, followed in parentheses by first-team votes and points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis by a 46-member national media panel:
FIRST TEAMSeimone Augustus, LSU, 6-1, senior, 23.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, .578 fg pct (46 first-team votes, 230 total points).
Ivory Latta, North Carolina, 5-6, junior, 18.4 ppg, 5.0 apg, 77 3-pointers, 67 steals (39, 210).
Cappie Pondexter, Rutgers, 5-9, senior, 21.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 51 3-pointers (36, 207).
Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, 6-4, freshman, 21.4 ppg, 15.1 rpg, 111 blocks, .611 fg pct (30, 184).
Sophia Young, Baylor, 6-1, senior, 22.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 67 steals (25, 183).
SECOND TEAMJessica Davenport, Ohio State, 6-5, junior, 18.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 91 blocks, .624 fg pct (17, 162).
Monique Currie, Duke, 6-0, senior, 16.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 38 3-pointers (17, 161).
Candice Wiggins, Stanford, 5-11, sophomore, 21.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 62 steals, 79 3-pointers (4, 109).
Candace Parker, Tennessee, 6-3, freshman, 16.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 71 blocks, 52 steals, .553 fg pct (5, 98).
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland, 6-2, sophomore, 16.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, .659 fg pct (3, 89).
THIRD TEAMSylvia Fowles, LSU, 6-6, sophomore, 16.7 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 66 blocks, .623 fg pct (4, 85).
Tasha Humphrey, Georgia, 6-3, sophomore, 19.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 35 steals, .505 fg pct (60).
Khara Smith, DePaul, 6-2, senior, 17.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 66 steals, .585 fg pct (1, 50).
Kim Smith, Utah, 6-1, senior, 19.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 58 steals, 42 3-pointers, .545 fg pct (1, 33).
Candice Dupree, Temple, 6-2, senior, 17.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 67 blocks, .510 fg pct (30).
HONORABLE MENTION(In alphabetical order)
Ambrosia Anderson, BYU; La'Tangela Atkinson, North Carolina; Sherill Baker, Georgia; Nikki Blue, UCLA; Melanie Boeglin, Indiana State; Tara Boothe, Xavier.
Meg Bulger, West Virginia; LaToya Davis, Texas Tech; Jessica Dickson, South Florida; Megan Duffy, Notre Dame; Katie Gearlds, Purdue; Erin Grant, Texas Tech.
Lindsey Harding, Duke; Tiffany Jackson, Texas; Tamara James, Miami; Erlana Larkins, North Carolina; Camille Little, North Carolina; Lyndsey Medders, Iowa State.
Leilani Mitchell, Idaho; Noelle Quinn, UCLA; Jillian Robbins, Tulsa; Liz Shimek, Michigan State; Brooke Smith, Stanford; Ann Strother, Connecticut.
Shona Thorburn, Utah; Tasha Williams, Louisiana Tech; Lisa Willis, UCLA; Shanna Zolman, Tennessee.
Note: Robbins and Zolman each received one first-team vote.
