March 28, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. ââ’¬” South Carolina sophomore forward A’ja Wilson earned First-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press today, becoming the second-straight Gamecock to capture a spot among the nation’s top five players. Senior guard Tiffany Mitchell was named to the second team, her third-straight season being recognized by the AP, and junior center Alaina Coates picked up honorable mention status. It is the second-straight season that three Gamecocks have earned All-America status from the organization.
Wilson was South Carolina’s top scorer and shot blocker, earning SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors for her efforts. She averaged 16.1 points and 8.7 rebounds, ranking among the SEC’s top five in both categories, in just 27.1 minutes per game, shooting an SEC-best 53.1 percent from the field. Her 103 blocked shots are the new single-season school record and rank her 12th in the nation at 3.12 per game. She posted 14 double-doubles this season to rank 29th in the nation and among South Carolina’s single-season top 10. Wilson was an AP Third-Team All-American last season.
Mitchell picked up her third-straight All-America honors from the Associated Press, claiming spots on the first team in 2015 and the third team in 2014. The three-time All-SEC First Team selection finished the season ranked seventh in the SEC in scoring at 14.9 points per game, seventh ins teals per game (1.8) and sixth in made 3s per game (1.7). She lifted her scoring output to 15.6 points per game in SEC play and earned SEC Tournament MVP honors after averaging 15.7 points on 40.5 shooting and leading the team with 10 assists over the three games that delivered the Gamecocks’ second-straight SEC Tournament title.
Coates lived up to her “walking double-double” moniker with 20 this season, including all three NCAA Tournament games, to rank ninth in the nation. She earned a spot on the NCAA Sioux Falls All-Region team as she averaged 18.0 points and 12.0 rebounds over the Gamecocks’ three NCAA Tournament games, shooting 75.0 percent from the field. A First-Team All-SEC selection she was the only player in the league to average a double-double on the season with 12.1 points and an SEC-best 10.3 rebounds per game. She lifted both numbers in league play, posting 11.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game to help the Gamecocks to their third-straight SEC regular-season championship.
No. 3/2 South Carolina closed out its 2015-16 season with a 33-2 record that included a 16-0 mark in SEC action, just the second such record in conference history. The Gamecocks ranked among the nation’s top 20 in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense while leading the nation in free throw attempts.
AP All-America First Team
Rachel Banham, Minnesota
Moriah Jefferson, UConn
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State
Breanna Stewart, UConn
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
AP All-America Second Team
Nina Davis, Baylor
Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
Morgan Tuck, UConn
Brianna Turner, Notre Dame
Jamie Weisner, Oregon State
AP All-America Third Team
Jillian Alleyne, Oregon
Brittney Martin, Oklahoma State
Aerial Powers, Michigan State
Kelsey Plum, Washington
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Maryland
AP Honorable Mention All-America
Ameryst Alston, Ohio State
Imani Boyette, Texas
Madison Cable, Notre Dame
Jordin Canada, UCLA
Alaina Coates, South Carolina
Nia Coffey, Northwestern
Lexi Eaton Rydalch, BYU
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Nathalie Fontaine, Ball State
Bashaara Graves, Tennessee
Ruth Hamblin, Oregon State
Myisha Hines-Allen, Louisville
Bria Holmes, West Virginia
Chanise Jenkins, DePaul
Alexis Jones, Baylor
Brionna Jones, Maryland
Jonquel Jones, George Washington
Niya Johnson, Baylor
Jackie Kemph, Saint Louis
Whitney Knight, Florida Gulf Coast
Kelsey Minato, Army
Jasmine Nwajel, Wagner
Shereesha Richards, Albany
Azura Stevens, Duke
Courtney Walker, Texas A&M
Sydney Wiese, Oregon State
Courtney Williams, South Florida
