June 25, 2009

SECAUCUS, N.J. - Pitt All-America senior guard Shavonte Zellous became Pitt's first-ever women's draft pick on April 9, as she was selected in the first round by defending WNBA Champion Detroit Shock. Zellous was the No. 11 overall pick.

Zellous (Orlando, Fla./Jones), who served as a cornerstone of the Panthers' rise to national prominence, also became Pitt's first-ever women's All-American when she was named an Associated Press third team All-America in 2009. Following the regular season, Zellous was awarded with her third First Team All-Big East honor, making her the first in Pitt history to earn first team honors three times. For her efforts in the conference tournament, she was named to the 2009 Big East All-Tournament team.

In addition to the Associated Press All-America team, Zellous was named a finalist for the State Farm Coaches All-America team and was a candidate for the Wooden Award, the Naismith Award and the State Farm Wade Trophy, all of which go to the nation's top player.

Zellous was the ultimate team player for Pitt, as she helped lead the Panthers to their first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in 2008 and followed it up with another in 2009. She led Pitt in scoring over the past three seasons and hit the 2,000-point milestone earlier in the year, making her just the third player in Pitt history and just the 13th in storied Big East history to reach the mark. She finished her accomplished career with 2,251 points.

With her 31 points against Montana in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, Zellous broke a 24-year-old single-season points record at Pitt. Zellous finished her senior season with 747 points (surpassing the prior mark of 681), making her the first player in Pitt men's or women's history to score over 700 points in a season.

Also in 2008-09, Zellous became the first player in Pitt history (men's or women's) and just the ninth in Big East history (men's or women's) to score 600 points in three separate seasons. The unanimous selection to the All-Big East first team scored the second 1,000 of her 2,000 points in just 49 games.

In addition to the Sweet 16 appearance in 2009, Zellous led the Panthers to a school-record 25 wins. She finished second in the Big East in scoring and was sixth in the country with a 22.4 points per game average. In NCAA Tournament action, she averaged 24.3 points. Through the opening two rounds, she had scored more points than any player in the tournament.