high boston He is now a member of the elite club three times.
The South Carolina star was honored for the third year in a row as an All-American by the Associated Press on Wednesday. She is the tenth player to earn the honor three times.
Boston was joined on the first team by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Villanova’s Maddie Siegrist, LSU’s Angel Reese and Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes. Boston and Clark were unanimous picks by the 28-member National Media Committee that voted in the AP Top 25 every week.
It is the second consecutive season that a player has joined the club. Ryan Howard of Kentucky did it last season.
South Carolina players Aja Wilson, Baylor’s Brittney Griner, Tennessee’s Chamick Holdsclaw, Oklahoma State’s Alana Bird, Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu and Yukon’s Brenna Stewart and Maya Moore are the only other players to earn first-team honors. three times at least. Paris and Moore did it four times.
Boston earned second-team All-America honors her senior year.
“Alia was the best college player to me,” said South Carolina coach Don Staley, “many years honored as an All-American, but certainly the last two seasons.” “Hopefully we can really give her flowers while she’s still a collegiate athlete because I don’t think there will be another Boston college honoring college women’s basketball.”
Boston helped South Carolina go undefeated in the regular season and get into the NCAA Tournament As the best overall seed. She averaged 13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game. They are a huge reason why the Gamecocks have gone from wire to wire in the #1 spot in the AP Poll for the second straight season.
Clarke could join the three-times club next season. The junior again put up impressive numbers with an average of 27.0 points, second best in the country. She also had 8.3 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game to help Iowa win the Big Ten Tournament title for the second year in a row.
“Being a first-team All-American is one thing, but it’s another to receive back-to-back seasons,” Iowa State coach Lisa Bluder said. “Our program, our university, and our country are very proud of all the things you have accomplished thus far. There is no one more deserving of a player of a generation like Clark.”
Clark trailed only Siegrist in scoring. The Villanova star averaged 28.9 points this season and set the Big East career scoring record. She has 984 points this season and is looking to become the fifth player ever to score over 1,000 points in a season. She scored more than 20 points in 34 consecutive games which is one point short of the record set by Kelsey Bloom in 2016-17.
“Maddie is completely American in every sense of the word and she truly deserves this honor,” said Villanova coach Denise Dillon. “On the court, her numbers this year are staggering. Leading the country in scoring and scoring 1,000 points in a season is amazing. We are very proud that Maddie became the first All-American Associated Press in the history of the program.”
Reese had a stellar season for the Tigers, averaging 23.4 points and 15.5 rebounds while shooting 54% from the field. The sophomore forward broke Sylvia Fowles’ school record of 20 consecutive double-doubles.
“Angel Reese joined our program and has made a tremendous impact on our team,” said LSU coach Kim Mulkey. “She has a special skill set that sets her apart as one of the best players in the country. She is definitely one of the best players in the country. We are excited to see what her future holds and the impact she will have on our team at LSU.”
Holmes helped Indiana to one of the best seasons in school history. The Hoosiers, who finished second in the AP Poll, won the Big Ten regular season title. Holmes averaged 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds and shot 68.8% from the field.
“It’s an amazing achievement for Gal from Maine,” said Indiana coach Terry Morin. “Nobody is more excited and happy for her than our staff and teammates. It is well deserved. She has worked on her game since the day she arrived in Bloomington.”
Boston’s Clark and Haley Jones of Stanford, Ashley Jones of Iowa State, Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech, and Anissa Morrow of DePaul made the preseason All-America team.
The second team
The AP Second Team was headed by Kitley, who was the ACC Player of the Year for the second straight season. She is joined by Stanford’s Cameron Brink, Maryland’s Diamond Miller, Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and Utah’s Alyssa Bailey.
The third team
The third AP team was Joens and Aaliyah Edwards from UConn and Morrow, Jones and Zia Cooke from South Carolina.
honorific
Indiana’s Grace Berger, Florida State freshman Latson and Louisville’s Haley Van Leith were among the players who didn’t make all three All-America teams. Players earned honorable mention status if they appeared on one of the ballots.
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AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness, https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll, and https://twitter.com /AP_Top25
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