Former LSU All-American Sylvia Fowles to Start in WNBA All-Star Game

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Fowles gets starting nod for the Eastern Conference All-Stars

Tiger Rag News Services

NEW YORK – Former LSU All-American and current Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles was among the top give vote-getters named to the WNBA’s Eastern Conference All-Star team, earning a starting position in the All-Star game the league announced.

Fowles will start at center in her first WNBA All-Star appearance. The contest is set for 2:30 p.m. CT, July 25 in Ucasville, Conn. ABC will televise the game live from Mohegan Sun Arena.

“Making the WNBA All-Star team is something I’ve definitely aimed for in my career, but to be named a starter is amazing,” Fowles said. “I’m looking forward to representing Chicago with my teammate Candice Dupree, I think this just goes to show that the Sky is a talented team and that our fans are taking notice and supporting us all the way.”

Fowles garnered 71,487 votes from the fans, the second most of any player in the Eastern Conference. Only Indiana’s Tamika Catchings received more in the conference with 94,316 votes.

Fowles, the former No. 2 draft pick of the Sky, leads all Eastern Conference centers in scoring and is tops in the league in rebounding. Despite missing four games with a knee injury, she is averaging 11.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest. Fowles has recorded four double-doubles this season while grabbing a career-best 15 boards in a 64-57 win over Seattle on June 14.

Fowles will become the first former LSU women’s basketball player to start in a WNBA All-Star Game. Two-time NCAA National Player of the Year Seimone Augustus earned a spot as a reserve the past two seasons but was sidelined last month for the remainder of the 2009 season with a knee injury.

LSU has now produced a WNBA All-Star for the fourth straight game. Marie Ferdinand-Harris was a three-time All-Star with her last appearance coming in 2005. The WNBA did not hold an All-Star game in 2008 due to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Current LSU head coach Van Chancellor has coached in more WBNA All-Star games than any coach in league history. The former Houston Comets coach was a perfect 4-0 in all-star games, including guiding the Western Conference to three consecutive victories from 1999-2001.

Fowles ended her LSU career in 2008 as one of the most dominant centers in NCAA history. She twice earned State Farm All-America honors and shattered the Southeastern Conference career record for double-doubles (86) and rebounds (1,570). She was a member of four NCAA Final Four teams.