A Look At The Big 12 Freshman Of The Year Contenders, Headlined by Liz Donohoe

Liz Donohoe, most recently known as the woman behind "LizSanity", is quiet and understated when it comes to media attention. She is sure to already appear on the opposing scouting reports, but Oklahoma State's impressive freshman is going to have to get used to garnering attention if she plans to continue her collegiate career at her current clip.

When Donohoe came to Stillwater, she was not without awards an accolades as a Super Five pick by The Oklahoman, given annually to the state's top five players. She finished her prep career with 2,026 points and 1,131 rebounds on the way to being nominated for McDonald's All-American. Hailing from Edmond, Okla., she led the state in class 6A scoring as a senior averaging 20.1 points per game. Combining her scoring prowess with 10.3 rebounds a night, she posted double-double averages her final year of high school. She's continued on the path of main contributor for the Pokes.

Donohoe is quietly, but effectively contributing her skills to the Cowgirls, racking up a team-high 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds a night for the youthful squad. The remarkable thing when you look at her numbers is she's actually gone through some definite sluggish periods during her first season, but that doesn't shake her confidence. That drive and desire is noticed by opposing coaches, most recently by Iowa State's Bill Fennelly last weekend.

"She's a very talented kid, has a real even game, doesn't hunt shots, knows how to play," Fennelly said. "They do a great job of putting her in a position to be successful. Very impressed. I think the biggest thing is I've been very impressed - you know she's got some off nights, as all freshmen do, but it doesn't seem to bother her.

"She's going to be a great player here and someone that I think the Cowgirl fans will really enjoy watching over the next four years."

On signing day in 2010 late head coach Kurt Budke said that Donohoe's could be the best he's ever inked at OSU. That's high praise from a man who nabbed 2007 Big 12 Freshman of the year, eventual Lieberman Award winner and current WNBA player Andrea Riley. Of Donohoe specifically, Budke was impressed with her inside-outside game. And away from the microphones, Budke mentioned that he thought Donohoe could turn out to be one of his best products ever.

Her work on the court has led her to be named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week five times this season. The other freshmen in the conference that have earned mention are OU's DeShawn Harden and Sharane Campbell (3), Nneka Enempkali from Texas, Kylie Simmons and Morgan Eye of Missouri and the duo of Nikki Moody (3) and Brynn Williamson out of Iowa State.

Key freshmen by the numbers:

Asterisk (*) denotes team-leader

At the very least, if you've seen Donohoe play for the Pokes this season, you've seen someone that is sure to make the Big 12 all-freshman team. But if you look through the partial list of potential candidates for Big 12 Freshman of the year this season, my orange-tinged bias heads directly to Donohoe's line. I think it's time for yours to look there too, and maybe not just for conference honors. #LizD4FOY