ATLANTA (March 12, 2019) – Brianna King of the University of Montana Western is the 2019 WBCA NAIA Player of the Year and headlines the 2019 WBCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America team, announced today by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
King helped lead the Bulldogs to a 25-4 record this season. She averaged 22.2 points per game and was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week six times. Last season she was a first team NAIA All-American and led the Bulldogs to their first NAIA Tournament semifinals appearance. She set a school record by scoring 40 points in an NAIA Tournament quarterfinals game and ended the season sixth in the nation in scoring. King was named Frontier Conference Player of the Year and Frontier Conference Newcomer of the Year after transferring to UMW following two seasons at Community Colleges of Spokane.
The WBCA presents the Player of the Year award annually to the top player in five of the six WBCA membership divisions (NCAA Divisions II, and III, NAIA, two-year college and high school). The Player of the Year and the 10-member Coaches’ All-America team in each division are selected by a committee of WBCA member coaches in that division. The Wade Trophy is presented to the best player in NCAA Division I.
"The WBCA is pleased to name Brianna King as the 2019 WBCA NAIA Player of the Year,"” said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. “Brianna has played an integral role in guiding her team to an extraordinary season and is very deserving of this distinguished honor. The WBCA applauds Brianna for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game.”
Here are the 2019 WBCA NCAA NAIA Coaches’ All-Americans:
|
Name |
School |
|
Kendall Bradbury |
Taylor University |
|
Kelsie Cleeton |
College of The Ozarks |
|
Bailey Cummins |
Shawnee State University |
|
Vivian Holcomb |
University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma |
|
Brianna King |
University of Montana Western |
|
Philomena Lammers |
Concordia University (Nebraska) |
|
Abby Selzer |
Oklahoma City University |
|
Stephanie Soares |
The Master's University |
|
Myah Taylor |
Bethel University (Tennessee) |
|
Reagan Turner |
Lindsey Wilson College |
“The 10 members of the 2019 WBCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team are well deserving of this recognition, and the WBCA congratulates them for their accomplishments this season,” said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. “These young women have worked to elevate themselves and their teams to an elite level and through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have lifted the women’s game.”
Here are the student-athletes who received 2019 WBCA NCAA NAIA Coaches’ All-America honorable mention:
|
Name |
School |
|
Jordan Alford |
Columbia College (Missouri) |
|
Kaila Anthony |
Loyola University |
|
Kaitlin Aylward |
University of St. Francis |
|
Tianna Ayulo |
Johnson & Wales University |
|
Destinee Bowie |
Menlo College |
|
Nicole Buckingham |
Lawrence Technological University |
|
Baily Cameron |
John Brown University |
|
Sarah Carr |
Dakota Wesleyan University |
|
Jaida Carter |
University of Rio Grande |
|
Kynedi Cheeseman |
Dakota Wesleyan University |
|
Courtney Christmas |
Arizona Christian University |
|
Kassidy De Jong |
Northwestern College |
|
Hannah Dean |
Carroll College |
|
Chanel Fanter |
Saint Xavier University |
|
Brianna Gipson |
College of Coastal Georgia |
|
J'Nayah Hall |
Lindsey Wilson College |
|
Jas Hill |
Xavier University |
|
Kendall Knapke |
Indiana Institute of Technology |
|
Madison Stewart |
Campbellsville University |
|
Sandrea Sylman |
Freed-Hardeman University |
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.