Wilson Earns Spot on USBWA All-America Team
March 29, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina junior forward A’ja Wilson added to her list of national accolades Wednesday after being named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-America Team. This year marks the second-straight season Wilson has earned a spot on the 10-player list.
Wilson has remained a force on both sides of the ball in her third year at Carolina, leading the team in points per game (17.9) and blocked shots per game (2.5). The 2017 SEC Player of the Year continues to thrive when it matters most with an average of 19.8 points in Carolina’s four NCAA Tournament games this year. Five of her career-high 13 20-point games this season have come against ranked opponents, including a 25-point effort on Feb. 26 against Kentucky to secure the Gamecocks’ fourth-straight SEC regular-season title.
The junior standout, who received All-America laurels from the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and espnW earlier this month, boasts nine double-doubles on the year and ranks among the league’s top 10 in scoring and rebounding. Nationally, Wilson is 14th in field goal percentage (.592) and 22nd in blocks per contest, and she has led the Gamecocks in scoring in 19 of her 33 outings. She delivered down the stretch again Monday night in No. 3/4 Carolina’s 71-64 NCAA Elite Eight victory over No. 10/13 Florida State, recording a pair of blocks in the final minute to help deny any chance of a Seminole rally.
Wilson and the No. 3/4 Gamecocks (31-4) will make the program’s second NCAA Final Four appearance Friday when they face No. 6/6 Stanford (32-5) in the national semifinals in Dallas. Tipoff from the American Airlines Center is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the contest is set to air on ESPN2.
USBWA ALL-AMERICA TEAM
– Napheesa Collier, So., F, UConn
– Brionna Jones, Sr., C, Maryland
– Kelsey Mitchell, Jr., G Ohio State
– Kelsey Plum, Sr., G, Washington
– Katie Lou Samuelson, So., G/F, UConn
– Brianna Turner, Jr., F, Notre Dame
– Sydney Wiese, Fr., G, Oregon State
– Shatori Walker Kimbrough, Sr., G, Maryland
– Gabby Williams, Jr., F, UConn
– A’ja Wilson, Jr., F, South Carolina
