DALLAS (SMU) - SMU incoming freshman women's basketball player Katy Cobb earned Most Valuable Player honors at the AAU U-17 National Championships held in Orlando, Fla. The 5-6 point guard from Rio Vista, Texas, helped lead the Team Texas Express team (coached by Deryck Barber) to a thrilling 81-79 overtime victory over the Houston Hotshots (with a 54-1 record) to claim the national title in mid-July.

Cobb pumped in 28 points in the title game, motivating her team to rally to victory in overcoming a 16-point deficit with four minutes remaining in the contest. "Katy's leadership on the court was infectious," states Barber. "The team fed off her leadership - a leadership that can't be measured or calculated."

Texas Texas Express, representing the Southwest Region, went 4-1 in pool play to open nationals. In single elimination bracket play, defeated teams from Minnesota, Georgia, and Kentucky by a combined total of 10 points. During the nationals, Cobb averaged over 17 points per game, six assists and four steals. "Katy has a refuse-to-lose attitude," says Barber. "She is all about doing her best all of the time."