UConn’s Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck, and USF’s Courtney Williams were named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 on Friday afternoon. All four players were selected to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 list back in November as well.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 20 student-athletes who are the frontrunners for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor, based on their performances during the first half of the 2015-2016 season.
In early February, the Late Season Top 20 list will be announced. Fifteen top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA will be submitted to the voters on the ballot prior to the NCAA Tournament. Every year, players have made the ballots that are not on the preseason or midseason lists. Voters are permitted to take into consideration the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament when casting the ballot. The five-woman Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Big Ten had the most players on the Top 20 list with seven selections, followed by The American and SEC with four; the ACC and Pac-12 with two; and the Big 12 with one selection.
2015-16 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 List
|
Name |
Height |
Class |
Position |
School |
Conference |
|
Jillian Alleyne |
6-3 |
Sr. |
F |
Oregon |
Pac-12 |
|
Ameryst Alston |
5-9 |
Sr. |
G |
Ohio State |
Big Ten |
|
Rachel Banham |
5-9 |
Sr. |
G |
Minnesota |
Big Ten |
|
Nia Coffey |
6-1 |
Jr. |
F |
Northwestern |
Big Ten |
|
Nina Davis# |
5-11 |
Jr. |
F |
Baylor |
Big-12 |
|
Diamond DeShields |
6-1 |
So. |
G |
Tennessee |
SEC |
|
Moriah Jefferson |
5-7 |
Sr. |
G |
UConn |
The American |
|
Brionna Jones |
6-3 |
Jr. |
C |
Maryland |
Big Ten |
|
Kelsey Mitchell |
5-8 |
So. |
G |
Ohio State |
Big Ten |
|
Tiffany Mitchell# |
5-9 |
Sr. |
G |
South Carolina |
SEC |
|
Kelsey Plum |
5-8 |
Jr. |
G |
Washington |
Pac-12 |
|
Aerial Powers |
6-0 |
Jr. |
F |
Michigan State |
Big Ten |
|
Azurá Stevens |
6-6 |
So. |
F/G |
Duke |
ACC |
|
Breanna Stewart*# |
6-4 |
Sr. |
F |
UConn |
The American |
|
Morgan Tuck |
6-2 |
Jr. |
F |
UConn |
The American |
|
Brianna Turner |
6-3 |
So. |
F |
Notre Dame |
ACC |
|
Victoria Vivians |
6-1 |
So. |
F |
Mississippi State |
SEC |
|
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough |
5-11 |
Jr. |
G |
Maryland |
Big Ten |
|
Courtney Williams |
5-8 |
Sr. |
G |
USF |
The American |
|
A’ja Wilson |
6-5 |
So. |
F |
South Carolina |
SEC |
[*] indicates player selected as 2014-15 Wooden Award Player of the Year
[#] indicates player selected to the 2014-15 Wooden Award All American Team