The 2009–10 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Panthers were coached by Agnus Berenato. They were a member of the Big East Conference and played their home games at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Previous season The 2008-09 Pitt women's basketball went 25–8, a program record number of wins, en route to their second consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and a final #15 national ranking in both the AP and Coaches polls. Point guard junior Jania Sims was injured during the first game of the season and redshirted. Pitt graduated all-time leading scorer Shavonte Zellous, who was a first round draft pick by the WNBA's Detroit Shock. Pitt also graduated second team all-Big East guard Xenia Stewart.
Offseason
May 19: Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Seton Hill University. She was recognized for her efforts in building the Panthers program into a national success. Her honorary diploma was presented to her by Seton Hill President JoAnne W. Boyle, Ph.D.. It stated, "Family, colleagues, students and friends describe you as 'genuine,' 'a master motivator,' 'a live ball of action,' 'a real go-getter,' 'loyal,' and finally 'amazing.'" May 22: It was announced that Shavonte Zellous' jersey would be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's "Ring of Honor". July 16, 2009: Pitt sophomore center Shawnice "Pepper" Wilson was named a finalist for the USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team. She participated in trials at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the group was cut from 27 participants to the 14 finalists, but withdrew due to injury. August: Head coach Agnus Berenato was selected for and participated in a tour of overseas U.S military bases, with the goal of boosting "the morale and quality of life for deployed military personnel by providing entertainment from the home front." The Pitt women's basketball team was selected to play on national or regional television seven times for the 2009–10 season, including three games on the ESPN family of networks. Two freshman recruits joined the team: 5'9" guard Ashlee Anderson from Chicago, IL and 6'5" center Leeza Burdgess from Miami, FL.
Roster Number Name Height Position Class Hometown 23 Ashlee Anderson 5-9 Guard Freshman Chicago, IL 42 Leeza Burdgess 6-5 Center Freshman Miami, FL 22 Chelsea Cole 6-3 Forward Junior Lumberton, NJ 10 Taneisha Harrison 6-0 Guard Junior Bowie, MD 32 Selena Nwude 6-5 Center Junior (RS) Riverdale, MD 24 Sarah Ogoke 5-9 Guard Sophomore Sugar Land, TX 50 Kate Popovec 6-3 Center Sophomore Canfield, OH 2 Sophronia Sallard 5-10 Guard/forward Senior (RS) Syracuse, NY 25 Shayla Scott 6-1 Guard Junior Monroeville, PA 14 Jania Sims 5-7 Guard Junior (RS) Newark, NJ 12 Brittaney Thomas 5-8 Guard Senior (RS) Montgomery, AL 40 Shawnice "Pepper" Wilson 6-6 Center Sophomore Pittsburgh, PA
Schedule Pitt's 2009-10 schedule.
!colspan=12 style=|Exhibition
!colspan=12 style=|Non-conference regular season
!colspan=9| Postseason†Big East Women's Basketball Championship
!colspan=9| Women's National Invitation Tournament
Rankings + Ranking movementLegend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. rv=Others receiving votes. Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 WK 17 Wk 18 Final AP rv rv 24 19 15 21 20 20 rv -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Coaches 22 25 20 20 15 19 19 18 22 rv -- -- -- -- -- -- ---- --
Player stats Player Games played Minutes Field goals Three pointers Free throws Rebounds Assists Blocks Steals Points
See also Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball 2009–10 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team Pittsburgh Panthers University of Pittsburgh Big East Conference
References