April 29, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. –
Two University of South Carolina women’s basketball signees earned spots on the Parade Magazine All-America Team, becoming the first future Gamecocks to appear on the squad. Kelsey Bone (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles) appeared on the first team for the second-straight year, while Ieasia Walker (Copiague, N.Y./Copiague) claimed a spot on the third team. Bone was also named to the USA Today All-USA First Team this week.

The 2009 McDonald’s All-American Female Player of the Year and a WBCA All-American, Bone averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in 2008-09, leading Dulles to a 36-3 record and the Class 5A Region III semifinals. The 6-foot-5 post player won the 2009 Morgan Wooten Award, recognizing the nation’s top high school senior who demonstrates outstanding character, exhibits leadership and embodies the values of being a student-athlete in both her schoolwork and community affairs. Bone was named to the 2008 USA Women’s U18 National Team in June 2008 and helped the team to a perfect 5-0 record in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women in July. A three-time all-state selection, she was the District 23-5A MVP in 2008, its Offensive Player of the Year in 2007 and Newcomer of the Year in 2006. Over her four-year career, she averaged 17.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 51 percent from the field and leading the Vikings to a 122-28 record.

Ranked No. 17 in the class of 2009 by Blue Star Basketball, Walker helped her Copiaque team to the Section XI, Long Island and New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class AA titles. Named the Newsday Long Island Player of the Year and Basketball Coaches Association of New York, Inc., 2009 Miss New York Basketball, she is Copiague’s all-time leading scorer with 2,174 career points. As a senior, the 5-foot-8 guard averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 5.5 steals. She was named MVP of both the Section IX and NYSPHSAA Class AA state tournaments. Walker is a four-time All-Suffolk County and all-conference selection and has twice been on the New York State Sports Writers Association Class AA All-State Team, including a first-team selection in 2008-09.