Gamecocks Dominate WBCA All-Region 3 Team
March 25, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina filled three of the six entries on the WBCA All-Region 3 Team, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. Junior Tiffany Mitchell, senior Aleighsa Welch and freshman A’ja Wilson are now in the running for the 10-member All-America Team, which will be announced on Sat., April 4, during the NCAA Women’s Final Four Super Saturday festivities in Amalie Arena. Head coach Dawn Staley was named WBCA Region 3 Coach of the Year for the second-straight season.
Mitchell, twice voted SEC Player of the Year by the league coaches, added the honor from the Associated Press this season and is one of four finalists for both the Dawn Staley Award and the Naismith Trophy. She ranks third in the SEC in both field goal (.499) and free throw (.840) percentage and is among the league’s top-10 scorers (14.2 ppg). Mitchell impacts the game in other ways as well, among the league’s top 15 in both assists (2.8 apg) and steals (1.9 spg).
The SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and SEC Tournament MVP, Welch centers the Gamecocks with her leadership, and her unrelenting drive impacts the game well beyond the box score. The program’s record-holder in career offensive rebounds shines brightest in the biggest moments, averaging 8.6 rebounds in 10 games against ranked opponents – well above her season average of 6.4. Welch is third in program history in career total rebounds, and she has tied the record for games played at 134.
Wilson burst onto the scene, carving out a place on a team that returned all five starters from its first SEC regular-season championship squad. En route to SEC Freshman of the Year honors from both the league coaches and the Associated Press, she is second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) and is the only freshman ranked among the SEC’s top 20 in both categories. Wilson is second in the league in blocked shots and set the South Carolina freshman record with 19 rebounds at Kentucky in the regular-season finale.
Staley has continued her steady growth of the South Carolina program, increasing the SEC and overall win totals each season of her seven in Columbia. This season’s team won a school-record 15 SEC games on its way to a second regular-season title and tied the school record for overall wins with its 30th coming in the SEC Tournament championship game. While maintaining its position among the nation’s top defensive teams, the Gamecocks have lifted their offensive production this season, ranking among the nation’s top 15 in scoring with a Staley-era high 76.3 points per game, which ranks among the program’s all-time top five in points per game.
South Carolina will play in its third NCAA Sweet 16 in the last four seasons on Fri., March 27, taking on No. 15/12 North Carolina at 7 p.m. in Greensboro. The game will air live nationally on ESPN.
2015 Division I WBCA All-Region 3 Team
Danielle Ballard, LSU, Jr., G
Isabelle Harrison, Tennessee, Sr., C
Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina, Jr., G
Courtney Walker, Texas A&M, Jr., G
Aleighsa Welch, South Carolina, Sr., F
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina, Fr., F
