AU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Simply the best

In a season where she had lofty expectations placed upon her bony shoulders, DeWanna Bonner went out and performed better than anyone could have imagined. And that’s saying something for Auburn’s new all-time leading scorer.

Bonner, on her way to leading Auburn to a 30-4 record, torched the school’s scoring record and moved to second all-time in rebounds while collecting a bevy of awards for her dominating season. Her latest comes one month after she was selected fifth overall by the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, as Bonner was named the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Amateur Athlete of the Year on Sunday.

“She can do everything,” said former Auburn point guard Whitney Boddie, who is now with the Sacramento Monarchs. “She’s unstoppable.”

Bonner’s wire-thin frame and herky-jerky movements at times made her a surprise challenge for opponents unfamiliar with the do-it-all guard/forward. But there were few, if any, moments of shock for Auburn coach Nell Fortner, who beat out a number of elite programs in recruiting the Fairfield, Ala., native.

Believe it or not, Bonner was skinnier back in high school. But just as dominant.

“I had never seen her before I took the job at Auburn, but we got her to come to camp,” Fortner said. “I thought at camp, there was no question that this kid could play. She was lean, but I thought, ‘We’ll just get her in the weight room, and that will get her stronger.’ She already had skills and was a special kind of player already.

“Where she is now is a real testament to what a hard worker she was every year.”

It all culminated in the 2008-09 season, when Bonner started hot and never cooled down.

Bonner, who fought off an early injury, was the force behind Auburn’s 20-0 start, as she led the team in scoring in 11 of those contests. Her 35-point, nine-rebound, six-steal effort against Tennessee, which was seen before a Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum-record crowd of 12,067, will likely go down as the best of her career.

“DeWanna Bonner is a big-time player,” Fortner said afterward. “Big-time players play big-time basketball in big-time games.”

Her final stat line was the best of her career, also.

She led the SEC in points per game with a 21.1 average and finished third with 8.5 rebounds per game. She also chipped in 58 steals and 55 blocks.

Bonner finished her career with 2,162 points, nearly 100 more than the former school record set by Auburn legend Becky Jackson. Her 1,047 career rebounds were good for second all-time, and put her in the elite company shared by two other Auburn players who finished with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

She is listed in the top 10 in every major statistical category at Auburn, as she ranks sixth in blocks, seventh in steals, first in free throws, fourth in field goals and 10th in 3-pointers.

Her efforts garnered countless postseason accolades, including SEC Player of the Year, ESPN First-Team All-American, AP Second-Team All-American and National Player of the Year finalist.

“I am so incredibly proud of her, it is so well deserved,” Fortner said. “When she came here as a skinny little kid out of high school, she had already received some accolades and was a McDonald’s All-American. But, the way she improved every year is what is so rewarding as a coach.”

Asked if there was something she couldn’t do, Bonner smiled.

“I probably can’t dunk,” she said.

She has a full WNBA career ahead of her to prove herself wrong.

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