TAMPA, Florida (April 3, 2019) — Teaira McCowan of Mississippi State University is the 2019 WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
The Defensive Player of the Year award honors the best defensive women's basketball player in all of NCAA Division I. All conference defensive players of the year in NCAA Division I are considered for the award. If a conference does not select a defensive player of the year, the conference office can nominate one player to be considered.
“Teaira McCowan has been a defensive force for her Mississippi State team and has earned the highest respect from opposing coaches and players. She is a gifted and hard-working student-athlete who has demonstrated determination, intensity, effort and teamwork at the highest level,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “We celebrate Teaira and appreciate her contribution to her team as well as to the game of women’s basketball.”
McCowan averaged 13.5 rebounds per game and had 82 blocks this season as she led Mississippi State to the Elite Eight for the third straight year. She set an MSU career record with 1,502 career rebounds and is second in school history with 271 career blocks. She is the Southeastern Conference’s Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and SEC Tournament MVP as the Bulldogs won their first SEC Tournament championship. The Texas native is also a finalist for the Wade Trophy and the Lisa Leslie Award.
The WBCA NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year award began in 2007.
Visit www.wbca.org/recognize/ to see a list of past recipients.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.