Cook named to the second-team

GREENSBORO, March 26, 2008 – The North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team received more recognition on Wednesday for their outstanding 2007-08 season. Junior guard Amber Bland was named to the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association’s first-team All-State women’s basketball team.

Teammate and backcourt mate Ta’Wuana “Tweet” Cook earned second-team honors. The two women were among 10 women’s basketball players recognized for first-and-second team honors at mid-major programs across the state by the NCCSIA organization. N.C. A&T and UNC-Wilmington were the only two schools to have two players recognized on either the first or second teams.

Bland is now a two-time first-team All-State honoree, having earned the honor last season. Cook is making her first appearance.

“Amber is a big-time player and she deserves all the recognition she receives,’’ said head Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “She is a phenomenal talent who can do just about everything on a basketball court. I’m excited for what the future holds for her.”

For the second straight season, Bland led the Aggies in scoring. She averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.6 assists per game to earn her first-team All-MEAC honors for the second consecutive season. Bland helped the Aggies break the school record for wins a season with 25. The Aggies also went 15-1 in the MEAC and won the MEAC regular season.  

She ranked in the top 15 in an astounding eight different statistical categories and led the MEAC in 3-point field percentage (.403). Nationally, her defense has helped the Aggies to a No. 2 ranking in steals per game.

She ranks 40^th in steals nationally, and this season she became the fastest Aggie to reach 1,000 points in a career

Cook who followed her MEAC Rookie of the Year season by averaging 13.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 3.3 assists per game. Over six-week period in January and February, Cook won MEAC Defensive Player of the Week twice and MEAC Player of the Week once. Cook is closing in on being the Aggies all-time leader in assists and she is slightly off-pace of becoming the Aggies all-time leading scorer.

“She is the heart of our team,’’ said Bibbs. “She keeps the blood flowing. She brings life to our team. There were points in our season where she looked like a first-team all-conference performer.”