Wilson Named to Wooden Award National Ballot
March 4, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. ââ’¬” South Carolina junior forward A’ja Wilson earned one of 15 spots 2017 National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award Presented by Wendy’s, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Saturday on espnW. The two-time SEC Player of the Year was a finalist for the award last season, traveling to Los Angeles for the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show in April.
Wilson was a driving force in the Gamecocks’ repeat as SEC regular-season champions this season, scoring at least 20 points in each of the last three regular-season contests and recording a double-double in the last two. In the last four games, including Friday’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal victory, she averaged 21.8 points on 69.4 percent shooting. In the 2017 SEC Tournament debut, she blocked seven shots, one shy of the event record, and the most by a Gamecock at the SEC Tournament in program history.
On the season, Wilson’s 17.4 points per game is third in the SEC as is her .593 field goal percentage, which ranks her 17th in the nation. She is ninth in the league in rebounding at 7.6 per game and second in blocked shots with 2.4 per outing, another category in which she is among the nation’s best at 32nd. The junior has put up those numbers averaging just 27.7 minutes per game, which does not rank among the top 30 in the SEC.
The No. 5/5 Gamecocks continues SEC Tournament play in the semifinals today at 5 p.m., taking on No. 20/24 Kentucky, the tournament’s fourth seed, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
2017 Wooden Award National Ballot
Lindsay Allen, Sr., G, Notre Dame
Jordin Canada, Jr., G, UCLA
Napheesa Collier, So., F, UConn
Brionna Jones, Sr., C, Maryland
Kelsey Mitchell, Jr., G, Ohio State
Chantel Osahor, Sr., F/C, Washington
Alexis Peterson, Sr., G, Syracuse
Kelsey Plum, Sr., G, Washington
Katie Lou Samuelson, So., G/F, UConn
Brianna Turner, Jr., F, Notre Dame
Victoria Vivians, Jr., G, Mississippi State
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Sr., G, Maryland
Sydney Wiese, Sr., G, Oregon State
Gabby Williams, Jr., F, UConn
A’ja Wilson, Jr., F, South Carolina
