Wooden AA list announced - Morgan is on it

[UcMiami]

http://www.woodenaward.com/john_r_wooden_award_announces_2015_16_all_american_team

Moriah, Morgan, and Breanna!

 

[Kaizen]

The team consists of, alphabetically:
Rachel Banham (Minnesota),
Nina Davis (Baylor),
Moriah Jefferson (Connecticut),
Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State),
Tiffany Mitchell (South Carolina),
Kelsey Plum (Washington),
Breanna Stewart (Connecticut),
Morgan Tuck (Connecticut),
Brianna Turner (Notre Dame) and
A’ja Wilson (South Carolina).

The five players that are invited to Los Angeles are Banham, Jefferson, Kelsey Mitchell, Stewart and Wilson. Stewart is the 2015 John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year and a three-time Wooden Award All-American.

 

[MikeR01950]

Does that mean Morgan makes the husky of honor wall at gampel?? Awesome news for Morgan!! So deserved!!!!

 

[Fiftyish]

Why are only 5 selected to go to CA? Is a 1st team, 2nd team thing?

 

[UcMiami]

Why are only 5 selected to go to CA? Is a 1st team, 2nd team thing?

They are the finalist for the player of the year award. there is no first team second team, but it being five does sort of create that impression.
Interesting that the award voting went into the first week of the NCAA tournament - I think the others end before the tournament begins.

 

[ballhawk]

It's crazy the way AA selections are made. Kelsey Plum is a Wooden AA but Jamie Weisner was the PAC 12 player of the year. Last year, Brittany Boyd was a WBCA AA but Reshanda Gray was the PAC 12 player of the year. In both cases I think the PAC 12 made the wrong decision. I'm glad to see Kelsey Plum get the recognition that she deserves.

 

[UcMiami]

It's crazy the way AA selections are made. Kelsey Plum is a Wooden AA but Jamie Weisner was the PAC 12 player of the year. Last year, Brittany Boyd was a WBCA AA but Reshanda Gray was the PAC 12 player of the year. In both cases I think the PAC 12 made the wrong decision. I'm glad to see Kelsey Plum get the recognition that she deserves.

The all tend to have slightly different evaluation criteria. Conference awards weight conference play more heavily if not exclusively, some look at the total student athlete, some at solely what happens between the lines. On national awards being on mediocre teams makes for less exposure. And with the Wooden, the last impression is the first round of the NCAA, others only consider the regular season and conference tournament.

 

[meyers7]

In the UCONN media guide they list the AP, WBCA and the USBWA all-Americans. It think making one of those 3 gets a player on the wall. The other publications that come out with theirs (ESPN, Wooden, etc) don't seem to count.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

The team consists of, alphabetically:
Rachel Banham (Minnesota),
Nina Davis (Baylor),
Moriah Jefferson (Connecticut),
Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State),
Tiffany Mitchell (South Carolina),
Kelsey Plum (Washington),
Breanna Stewart (Connecticut),
Morgan Tuck (Connecticut),
Brianna Turner (Notre Dame) and
A’ja Wilson (South Carolina).

The five players that are invited to Los Angeles are Banham, Jefferson, Kelsey Mitchell, Stewart and Wilson. Stewart is the 2015 John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year and a three-time Wooden Award All-American.

Curious that only one other player on this list is on a team in the Final Four. Three Huskies plus Kelsey Plum.

Would this list be different had the voting taken place after the Elite Eight games? Ruth Hamblin? Jamie Weisner? Alexis Peterson? Imani Boyette?

Or no?

 

[Blakeon18]

Not absolutely sure but I think the only criteria of the Wall is making the WBCA AA team....not yet made public.

 

[DesertFox]

They are the finalist for the player of the year award. there is no first team second team, but it being five does sort of create that impression.
Interesting that the award voting went into the first week of the NCAA tournament - I think the others end before the tournament begins.

It's my understanding that the 1,000 eligible voters do so via an online system that allows them to evaluate players up until just after the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. The five candidates selected to go to Los Angeles are those who have received the most votes.

 

[UcMiami]

Not absolutely sure but I think the only criteria of the Wall is making the WBCA AA team....not yet made public.

It hasn't ever really been set in stone, but the WBCA has always been a ten player 1st team and most of the others were five player teams so the WBCA I think always included the 5 AAs from the other lists, so it became the referenced criteria. I think it has in reality remained '1st team AA status' with no particular awarding group specified.
The Wooden Award up to this year had five finalist for the NPOY award, and at least now they refer to it as their '5 player AA team' on their site history, but I think it used to be just called the finalists. This year is the first year they have created a ten player AA list and five finalists for the NPOY. I think the fact they were previously just referred to as finalists is why it hasn't been listed in the media guide.

I think they would certainly consider the Wooden AA list to be a prestigious enough voting block to consider it as a criteria for first team AA and inclusion on the wall, but hopefully we will not have to find out!

(I think the ESPN AA team and POY which is relatively new and decided by a three ESPN columnists will probably not get added to the media guide - just too quirky, and really just an in-house evaluation to add column inches to their coverage.)

 

[Bayareahusky]

WCBA ok, but in my book .... Wooden selection GOOD ENUF 4 ME..... Morgan to the wall !!! We love you Morgan!