UConn sophomores Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson were named finalists for the 2017 John R. Wooden Award and each earned a spot on the Wooden Award All-America team on Monday during the Huskies’ Elite Eight matchup against Oregon.
The American Athletic Conference Co-Players of the Year, Collier and Samuelson are joined by Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State, Kelsey Plum of Washington and A’ja Wilson of South Carolina on the list of finalists. All five players are invited to Los Angeles for the Wooden Award™ presentation during the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s®.
The 41st annual presentation of the John R. Wooden Award® to the men’s and women’s most outstanding college basketball player will be the anchor presentation of the ESPN College Basketball Awards Presented By Wendy’s® on ESPN2 on Friday, April 7, 2017. The men’s and women’s John R. Wooden Award All-American Teams™ will be honored during the ceremony and the 2017 Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Trophy™ will be presented to Muffet McGraw, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Notre Dame.
Collier, who is also a finalist for the 2017 Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy, is currently second in the nation in field-goal percentage (69.0). She has scored the third-most points of any UConn sophomore in program history.
The O’Fallon, Mo. native registered a career-high 39 points in the regular season finale against USF, which marked the fifth-highest single-game scoring total in school history. Collier scored her 1,000-career point in Monday's win over Oregon.
Also a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Dawn Staley Award, Samuelson leads the Huskies, averaging 20.7 points per game. Earlier this month, Samuelson was crowned the Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 American Women's Basketball Championship after she scored a career-high 40 points in 28 minutes in the final against USF, becoming only the third Husky all-time to score 40+ points in a game.
The Huntington Beach, Calif. native was 10-of-10 from 3-point range in the American championship final, establishing a new NCAA record for most 3-pointers made in a game without a miss. After joining UConn’s 1,000 point club this season as only a sophomore, Samuelson is just five three-pointers shy of the UConn single-season record held by Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (121).
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976 by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the John R. Wooden Award® program features the most prestigious individual honors in college basketball. The Wooden Award Trophy™ is bestowed annually upon the nation’s best male and female player, who have met the selection criteria as set forth by the Award’s creators. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (‘79), Michael Jordan (‘84), Tim Duncan (‘97), Candace Parker (‘07 and ‘08), Kevin Durant (‘07), Maya Moore (‘09 and ’11), Trey Burke (’13), Doug McDermott (‘14), Frank Kaminsky (’15). Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield won the 2016 men’s Wooden Award™ presented by Wendy’s and Breanna Stewart of Connecticut won the 2016 women’s Wooden Award™.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award® has contributed close to a million dollars to the general scholarship fund of the honoree’s University in the name of the All-American recipient. The Award has also enabled more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long basketball camps in the Award’s name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award® partners with the Special Olympics Southern California each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament takes place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award® presentation, and brings together Special Olympics athletes and the Wooden Award All-Americans™.