USA TODAY High School Sports Unveils NHS's Deshields As National Player of the Year

High School Sports unveiled today the 2013 American Family Insurance All-USA girls basketball team, highlighting the best high school players from across the country during the 2012-2013 season.

Diamond DeShields, a North Carolina commit and 6-2 senior guard/forward from Norcross (Ga.), has been selected as the national Player of the Year. As the all-time leading scorer at Norcross High, DeShields averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.8 assists per game this season, leading her team to three state titles, including this year's.  DeShields was also instrumental in the team's finish at No. 20 in the USA TODAY Super 25 rankings.

Cathy Self-Morgan, who guided Texas' Duncanville to a 70-game winning streak, back-to-back state titles and the number one spot in the USA TODAY Super 25 rankings, is the national Coach of the Year.  Self-Morgan, who was a star player at the University of Texas during its first three seasons of women's varsity basketball, has coached the sport for 35 years. 

The full All-USA teams (first, second and third teams) appear in today's print edition of USA TODAY and are also available online at usatodayhss.com. The All-USA Team and its year-end player and coach awards have been given out annually since 1983 and are considered the highest such honors in high school basketball.

Joining DeShields on the All-USA first team is 6-2, Duke-bound senior guard Rebecca Greenwell of Owensboro (Ky.) Catholic, who, despite serious knee injuries that plagued her throughout the season, averaged 23.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game.  Greenwell also set a national record with 17 three-pointers during Owensboro's Jan. 14 defeat of Trinity (Whitesville, Ky.). 

Linnae Harper of Whitney Young (Chicago), a 5-6, Kentucky-bound senior guard, has also been named to this year's All-USA first team.  Harper averaged 19 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists, and played a pivotal role in her team's four city titles and two state 4A titles. She is joined by 6-2 forward Taya Reimer of Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.), who will head to Notre Dame in the fall.  Reimer averaged 20.7 points, 8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, and shot 57 percent from the floor.

Mercedes Russell , a Tennessee-bound, 6-6 senior center from Springfield (Ore.), joins the All-USA first team as well, averaging 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.5 blocked shots, 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  Russell is a three-time state player of the year with 2,273 points, 1,642 rebounds and 562 blocked shots during her career at Springfield.

Following is the complete listing of this year's American Family Insurance All-USA High School Girls Basketball first, second and third teams, as determined by USA TODAY High School Sports. For more information on the American Family Insurance All-USA Team, visit usatodayhss.com.

The above is a press release from PR Newswire.

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See also:

• Diamond DeShields Picked for USA Today High School Basketball Team

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