Jackson and Wright Named to All-Defensive First Team

Wright

Jackson

Kevin Pelton, stormbasketball.com | September 25, 2009

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Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson and guard Tanisha Wright have been named to the 2009 WNBA All-Defensive First Team, the league announced Friday. Jackson, the 2007 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, is making her third straight All-Defensive appearance and fourth overall, having previously been voted to the First Team in 2007 and to the Second Team in 2005 and 2008. Wright is being honored by the league for her defense for the first time and is the first Storm player besides Jackson to make an All-Defensive Team.

For the second consecutive season, the Storm led the league in scoring defense, allowing just 72.8 points per game. Jackson and Wright were key to the Storm's defensive success. Jackson finished second in the WNBA by blocking 1.7 shots per game and also collected 1.5 steals per game. Wright's 1.5 steals per game were a career high, and she was assigned the task of defending the opposition's best scorer on the perimeter throughout the season.

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Jackson and Wright are joined on the First Team by Indiana Fever guard Tully Bevilaqua and forward Tamika Catchings, the WNBA's 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, and Minnesota Lynx center Nicky Anosike. The All-Defensive Second Team features Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie, Atlanta Dream forwards Sancho Lyttle and Angel McCoughtry, Detroit Shock guard Deanna Nolan, Washington Mystics guard Alana Beard and Sparks guard/forward Candace Parker.

A panel of the WNBA’s 13 head coaches voted on the WNBA All-Defensive Team, selecting First and Second Teams by position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Players earned two points for each First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.

2009 WNBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM
Player	Team	Position	Points
Tamika Catchings	Indiana Fever	Forward	24
Lauren Jackson	Seattle Storm	Forward/Center	12
Nicky Anosike	Minnesota Lynx	Center/Forward	13
Tanisha Wright	Seattle Storm	Guard	10
Tully Bevilaqua	Indiana Fever	Guard	9

2009 WNBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM
Player	Team	Position	Points
Sancho Lyttle	Atlanta Dream	Forward	9
Angel McCoughtry	Atlanta Dream	Forward	9
Lisa Leslie	Los Angeles Sparks	Center	10
Candace Parker	Los Angeles Sparks	Guard/Forward	8
Alana Beard	Washington Mystics	Guard	8
Deanna Nolan	Detroit Shock	Guard	8