South Carolina forward A'ja Wilson was unanimously voted the AP Southeastern Conference player of the year. Wilson helped lead the Gamecocks to a perfect record in the SEC this season while going 31-1 overall.
Wilson has averaged 16.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for South Carolina. The forward is ranked in the top five in the conference in scoring and rebounding, and she is the leader in the SEC in blocks per game with 3.1. Wilson has been the key player for South Carolina this season, and she is leading the team into the NCAA Tournament as one of the overall favorites.
South Carolina will open up against Jacksonville in the Sioux Falls Regional on Friday. The Gamecocks are a number one seed in the tournament. The team won the SEC regular season title two years in a row, and they also won back-to-back tournament championships.
"We can't let down," Wilson said.
Teammate Tiffany Mitchell won the award last year, and now Wilson will keep it in the South Carolina family. The Gamecocks also took the coach of the year with Dawn Staley winning the award for the second time in three seasons. Wilson was also named a member of the AP All-SEC first-team roster along with teammates Mitchell and Alaina Coates.
The Gamecocks were the best team in the SEC this season and won the championship in the conference tournament. Wilson helped lead the team to a win over Mississippi State in the final, contributing 19 points and 13 rebounds. The team did not lose a single game within the conference this season, becoming the first team to do that in the regular season and postseason since Tennessee did it in 2011.
Other awards that were handed out included the freshman of the year award in the SEC, which went to Missouri guard Sophie Cunningham after Wilson won it last season. Wilson, Mitchell and Coates all made the SEC first-team roster along with Texas A&M's Courtney Walker, Kentucky's Makayla Epps and Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians.
The other number one seeds in the tournament include Connecticut, Notre Dame and Baylor along with South Carolina. UConn will open against Robert Morris, while Notre Dame plays North Carolina A&T. Baylor will start off the tournament against Idaho.