Illinois' Miss Basketball will head to Rutgers this fall

Before she entered her senior season at John Marshall High School in Chicago last fall, Cappie Pondexter already had racked up a string of basketball successes that most players can only dream of.

After averaging 21.6 points and 7.1 rebounds during her junior season, the 5'9" guard was named an honorable mention All-American by USA Today, a first-team All-American by Street & Smith's, an underclass All-American by Reebok/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), a Junior All-American by Student Sports, and an All-American by Nike.

In addition, Pondexter was named Illinois' Miss Basketball and a consensus first-team all-state selection last season, and was one of only two high school juniors named to the U.S. National Junior Team, which she helped lead to the gold medal at last summer's World Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

A starter since her freshman year, Pondexter is the latest superstar for Marshall coach Dorothy Gaters, who has won 19 city titles and seven state titles since 1975. "She is fairly strong, and has the attributes you need as a shooting guard," Gaters said. "She's a good penetrator, ballhandler and shooter. At the high school level she rates pretty good. She's as good as any that have come through our program."

In November, Pondexter announced that she will attend Rutgers University, where she is interested in pursuing early childhood development/elementary education. She also was recruited by Connecticut, DePaul, Southern California, and UNLV.

"Cappie's got the most international experience of any of the players we have signed," said Rutgers Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer. "We have been following her career for a very long time. You can't help but know about Cappie. She is one of the most gifted basketball players to grace the court in some time. She dribbles and shoots the ball well, and we look forward to having her join our program."

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