Feb. 7, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina junior guard Allisha Gray has been selected to the 2017 Dawn Staley Award Mid-Season Watch List, the Phoenix Club of Philadelphia announced. Gray is one of 19 student-athletes in contention for the award, which honors the top guard in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
The national accolade is given to the player who exemplifies the skills that Staley possessed during her career – ball handling, scoring, and the ability to pass and guide her team to victory. The winner will be revealed during Final Four weekend, and the ceremony will take place at the Union League of Philadelphia in April.
Gray has been one of Carolina’s most consistent players in her first year with the Gamecocks, reaching double figures in all but four games. She leads the Gamecock backcourt in scoring with 13.4 points per game and 34 steals, and her 57 assists are good for the second-best mark on the team. The Sandersville, Ga., native, who is also a candidate for the Naismith Trophy, ranks 21st in the SEC in scoring, and she owns the eighth-highest free throw percentage (.789) in league play.
Gray and the No. 6/6 Gamecocks (20-2, 10-1 SEC) are back in action Thursday when they welcome Auburn to Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the contest can be seen on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN.
2017 Dawn Staley Award Mid-Season Watch List
Lexie Brown, Duke
Jordin Canada, UCLA
Diamond DeShields, Tennessee
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Feyonda Fitzgerald, Temple
Allisha Gray, South Carolina
Amy Griffin, LaSalle
Tori Jankoska, Michigan State
Alexis Jones, Baylor
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State
Adrienne Motley, Miami
Teniya Page, Penn State
Alexis Peterson, Syracuse
Kelsey Plum, Washington
Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn
Brittney Sykes, Syracuse
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
Sydney Wiese, Oregon State
Morgan William, Mississippi State
