CLEVELAND - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association released its list of 2010 All-Americans on Tuesday with the Lady Statesmen (27-4) of Delta State University placing point guard Sarita "Bug" Cooper and center Veronica Walker on the Honorable Mention All-America list.  The WBCA narrows its list of All-Americans to 10 recipients each year from over 40 finalists across the nation.  

"It's such a great honor to have two of your players make this prestigious list," coach Sandra Rushing stated.  "Our girls have something else to work towards next season and hopefully they'll cherish this recognition and use it as a motivator for next season."

For Cooper, Tuesday's announcement marks the second straight year the Indianola native has made the WBCA Honorable Mention list.  The 5-foot-6 junior point guard led the nation in assists for a second consecutive season at an astounding 8.5 per game - only NCAA Division I Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot had more at 9.3 per game.  She also finished with a career-high 10.6 points per game scoring average, while rankings 11th in the NCAA in assists/turnover ratio. 

It's been a season of highs for the lightning-quick point guard, as Cooper established a new record for career assists in the Gulf South Conference with 684.  She also became DSU's all-time leader in NCAA era assists with the same number. 

The spotlight has been on DSU's Veronica Walker since she walked in the door.  The 6-foot-1 sophomore center was named the GSC's West Division Freshman of the Year in 2008-09 and used that honor as a catapult for this season. 

What a season it turned out to be for Walker, as the GSC West Division Player of the Year finished the year averaging a double-double with 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.  She also led NCAA Division II in field goal percentage at 63.7 percent (254-of-399), ranked 11th in scoring (20.8), 14th in blocked shots (2.4) and 15th in rebounding (10.2).  

In her quest to become one of the top post players in Lady Statesmen history, Walker topped the 1,000 point plateau in just two seasons, totaling 1,072 points in only 68 games.  Her 1,072 points rank 30th all-time in Lady Statesmen history, while her 128 career blocks are sixth all-time.

The Lady Statesmen finished the 2010 season 27-4 overall after falling to Arkansas Tech in the NCAA South Region Tournament Championship game.  Despite the loss, the green-and-white completed a fifth-straight season in the NCAA "Sweet 16."