Shafir named regional finalist for State Farm Coaches All-America Team

March 18, 2011 | News, UToday
By Brian DeBenedictis



Naama Shafir helped cut down the net in Savage Arena after the Rockets won the regular-season Mid-American Conference Championship.

Naama Shafir helped cut down the net in Savage Arena after the Rockets won the regular-season Mid-American Conference Championship.

Toledo junior Naama Shafir has been named one of 52 regional finalists for the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association has announced.

The State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team selection committee will review the candidates Monday, March 21, and trim the list to 40 finalists, all of whom will be in the running for selection to the 10-member All-America squad.

Shafir was one of six student-athletes recognized from Region 4, which comprises the Mid-American Conference, Conference USA and the Ohio Valley Conference. The three-time all-league honoree is joined by fellow MAC players Kourtney Brown from Buffalo and Lauren Prochaska from Bowling Green. Also representing Region 4 is Tacarra Hayes from Tennessee Tech, Chasity Reed from Arkansas-Little Rock and Courtney Taylor from Houston.

The 2010-11 first-team All-MAC selection is tops on the squad in scoring (14.3 points per game) and assists (5.1 assists per game), as well as ranking second in steals (1.4 steals per game), free-throw percentage (73.9 percent), three-point field-goal percentage (36.4 percent) and minutes per game (30.5).

Shafir is the second UT player to be honored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association over the last two seasons; Tanika Mays was a regional honoree in 2009-10.

Shafir and the 2010-11 MAC regular-season champions will return to the hardwood Saturday, March 19, in the second round of the WNIT against the winner of tonight’s game between Tennessee Tech-Auburn. The tip-off is slated for noon in Savage Arena.

UT advanced to the second round of the postseason tourney with a 15-4 run over the final three-plus minutes vs. Delaware to claim a 58-55 come-from-behind victory Wednesday.

Click to access the login or register cheese