Wilson Wins Honda Sport Award for Basketball
April 12, 2018
COLUMBIA, S.C. ââ’¬” South Carolina senior forward A’ja Wilson picked up another national honor today as THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced that she is the winner of the Honda Sport Award for Basketball. Chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools, Wilson is now a finalist for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year honors and the prestigious 2018 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Mon., June. 25, in downtown Los Angeles.
“So many great players have won this award, including Coach [Dawn] Staley, and I’m honored to have my name added to that list,” Wilson said. “For the last four years, I’ve been on an amazing journey, and closing my college career with these awards has been an added blessing and a great way to end that part of my basketball life.”
A three-time Honda Sport Award nominee, Wilson closed her college career with the best statistical season of her career and became the Gamecocks’ first National Player of the Year, claiming the title from every organization that has bestowed it this season. She ranked seventh in the nation with 22.6 points per game, while her 11.8 rebounds per game was 11th in the nation and her 3.18 blocked shots average was fifth. She was the only player in the nation ranked among the top 30 of all three categories.
Wilson is a three-time unanimous First-Team All-American and the only three-time SEC Player of the Year in league history. She is the Gamecocks’ all-time leading scorer and one of 13 players in SEC history to record at least 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. With a school-record 363 career blocks, Wilson is the 10th player in NCAA Div. I history to amass at least 2,000 points and 300 blocks in her career. She leaves South Carolina holding 62 school records and ranking in the program’s all-time top five 114 times.
The CWSA, in its 42nd year, honors the nation’s top NCAA women athletes in 12 sports recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.1 million in institutional grants to the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.
Wilson is in New York City tonight for WNBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm. Coverage on ESPN2 begins at 7 p.m. followed by second- and third-round coverage on ESPNU at 8 p.m.
