Seimone's Greatest Moment No. 5: Wade Trophy
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU.Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments. Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five.
The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.Today, we start with No. 5.Augustus left LSU as the most decorated female athlete in school history. A two-time National Player of the Year selection and the only three-time State Farm All-American in school history, the Baton Rouge native's most prestigious honor might have occurred on April 1, 2005. The State Farm Wade Trophy has long been associated as the "Heisman Trophy" of women's college basketball since its inception in 1978.LSU had never boasted such an award in program history, until Augustus' junior season of 2004-05. With the Lady Tiger team and staff on hand prior to the 2005 Final Four in Indianapolis, Augustus was announced as the 2004-05 State Farm Wade Trophy recipient at the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's National Convention.Prior to the announcement, Augustus had no idea she would claim the award. She joined a prestigious list of women's basketball greats that included Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Alana Beard. LSU finished that season with a 33-3 overall record, a perfect 14-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play and a second straight trip to the Final Four thanks to the play of Augustus."It is very overwhelming," Augustus said about receiving the Wade Trophy. "It was a surprise because of the other players up there with me. It was tough to think that I would be the player of the year."The nine other Kodak/WBCA All-Americans, Jacqueline Batteast of Notre Dame, Monique Currie of Duke, Ohio State's Jessica Davenport, TCU's Sandora Irvin, Minnesota's Janel McCarville, Kansas State's Kendra Wecker, Mississippi State's Tan White, Stanford's Candice Wiggins and Sophia Young of Baylor, were finalists for the Wade Trophy.Augustus went on to claim the Naismith Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award and the Honda Award. However, after 30 seasons of women's basketball at LSU, the Lady Tigers had finally produced a Wade Trophy winner. Augustus would repeat the honor a season later as a senior to cap her career as the greatest player in school history.