She is impossible to miss when she comes into the University of Delaware Library. At 6-foot-6 Elena Dell Donne is an imposing presence and by many lights the greatest women’s college basketball player in the U.S. today. She is also, thanks to her work ethic, the NCAA women’s basketball 2012 Academic All-America of the Year.
Delle Donne, who carries a 3.6 grade-point average in early-childhood education at an academically demanding school, has led little Delaware to No. 8 in the NCAA national poll with a 25-1 record. The Blue Hens have won 15 straight, their only loss coming to powerhouse Maryland.
The Wilmington native’s 28.1 points per game lead the nation. She is a senior academically but a junior in terms of basketball eligibility because she transferred from the University of Connecticut only a few days into her freshman year. Feeling burned out, she played volleyball at Delaware for a year before returning to the court.
“Every one knows the kind of outstanding player Elena is by watching her on the court night in and night out,” said Delaware coach Tina Martin. “But what makes winning an award like this so special is that it shows the kind of person and student she is off the court as well. Her commitment and work ethic to the game of basketball is exceptional but she works every bit as hard on the academic side and it shows. I know this is an award that she will cherish as much as any of the others that she has earned. We are proud of her in so many ways.”