South Carolina basketball: A’ja Wilson named WNBA player of the year

Former South Carolina basketball player A’ja Wilson was named WNBA POY.

Former Gamecock forward A’ja Wilson was named WNBA player of the year by the Associated Press this week following a fantastic 2020 campaign. Wilson was the most productive performer on the first-placed Las Vegas Aces.

The third-year player averaged 20.5 points per game on 48% shooting in 2020, while adding 8.5 rebounds and two assists a contest. She helped the Aces earn the Western division’s top overall seed after leading the team to an 18-4 record over the WNBA’s shortened 22 game season. She’ll now prepare for a playoff matchup with the seventh-seeded Connecticut Sun.

Wilson was the league’s second-leading scorer this year, while leading the WNBA in blocks. She was also a top ten performer in the rebounding category. Of the 16 total votes cast to determine the WNBA’s player of the year, Wilson received 11. She beat out former Connecticut Husky Breanna Stewart for the prestigious award.

As a Gamecock, Wilson was a three-time All-American, finishing her career as the program’s all-time leading scorer. She also earned SEC player of the year honors on three separate occasions and remains the only player in conference history to pull off the feat.

As a senior, the Columbia native averaged 22.6 points and 11.8 boards a game. She led South Carolina to its first ever national title, before being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft.

At only 24 years of age, this may not be the last time we hear A’ja Wilson’s name announced as the WNBA’s top performer. She’ll look to bring home some more hardware as the Aces gear up for a run in the playoffs.