| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution honoring the 2008-2009 University of South |
| 3 | Florida Women's Basketball Team. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Florida's universities offer a world of |
| 6 | opportunity to young men and women through intercollegiate |
| 7 | sports and, as part of the State University System, student |
| 8 | athletes enrolled at the University of South Florida benefit |
| 9 | from both a quality academic experience and the chance to |
| 10 | compete at the highest levels of college athletic competition, |
| 11 | and |
| 12 | WHEREAS, the University of South Florida Women's Basketball |
| 13 | Team competes in the nation's largest conference in college |
| 14 | basketball, the Big East Conference, and |
| 15 | WHEREAS, USF Women's Head Basketball Coach Jose Fernandez |
| 16 | and the 2008-2009 USF team members, Crystal Ayers, Melissa |
| 17 | Dalembert, Brittany Denson, Shantia Grace, Porche Grant, Jessica |
| 18 | Lawson, Ashley Sanders, Jazmine Sepulveda, Allyson Speed, Janae |
| 19 | Stokes, Kelsey Varney, and Jasmine Wynne, completed the most |
| 20 | successful season in the program's history, setting a record for |
| 21 | most wins in a season, and |
| 22 | WHEREAS, the Bulls chalked up the most 2008-2009 wins of |
| 23 | any Florida NCAA Division I college basketball program, with the |
| 24 | Green-and-Gold ranking in the top five in the nation in scoring |
| 25 | throughout the season and averaging a phenomenal 78 points per |
| 26 | game, and |
| 27 | WHEREAS, Head Coach Jose Fernandez has recorded the most |
| 28 | career wins by a head basketball coach in the program's history, |
| 29 | with the USF women's basketball team going to postseason play in |
| 30 | each of the last six seasons, and |
| 31 | WHEREAS, on Saturday, April 4, 2009, the University of |
| 32 | South Florida captured the Women's National Invitation |
| 33 | Tournament Title, defeating the University of Kansas in a |
| 34 | thrilling contest, stunning the record crowd of 16,113 in the |
| 35 | Jayhawks' own Allen Fieldhouse by a final score of 75-71, and |
| 36 | WHEREAS, Sarasota's own Senior Guard Shantia Grace, a First |
| 37 | Team All-Big East performer during the regular season, was named |
| 38 | the Most Valuable Player of the Women's National Invitation |
| 39 | Tournament, and |
| 40 | WHEREAS, the University of South Florida Women's Basketball |
| 41 | Team and the Bulls' excellent coaching staff stand tall as yet |
| 42 | another reason for "Bull Pride" among the more than 4 million |
| 43 | people in the University of South Florida's ten-county Tampa Bay |
| 44 | service area and citizens throughout the state, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 45 |
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| 46 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 47 | Florida: |
| 48 |
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| 49 | That the Florida House of Representatives recognizes the |
| 50 | extraordinary accomplishments of the University of South Florida |
| 51 | Bulls Women's Basketball program, commends the 2008-2009 team |
| 52 | members and coaching staff for their championship run, and |
| 53 | expresses its gratitude for the honor which the team has brought |
| 54 | to the state. |
| 55 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 56 | presented to the University of South Florida, to Head Coach Jose |
| 57 | Fernandez and each member of his coaching staff, and to each |
| 58 | member of the University of South Florida Bulls Women's |
| 59 | Basketball team as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed |
| 60 | herein. |