UConn’s Paige Bueckers is the only freshman among the 15 female college basketball players in the national Wooden Award vote, which was released on Saturday.
South Carolina striker Aliyah Boston and Stanford guard Haley Jones were the only other senior students on the list. Stanford was the only school with several representatives, as the owner Kiana Williams was also included in the top 15.
Pac-12 led the way with four players in the national vote, including Arizona conference player of the year Aari McDonald and his colleague Michaela Onyenwere at UCLA.
The SEC and Big 12 each had three players on the ballot. Louisville’s Dana Evans, who was named ACC’s best player of the year for the second consecutive season earlier this week, is one of seven veterans in the top 15. Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard, SEC player of the year for the second season in a row, is one of the five juniors.
Bueckers led UConn to a record 21-1 and ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Earlier this week, Bueckers joined Maya Moore as the only woman to win Big East player and freshman of the year awards at same season. Bueckers leads UConn in scoring (19.8 PPG), assists (6.2 APG), steals (2.4 SPG) and 3-point shooting (47.6%).
Charli Collier of Texas, a junior eligible for the draft and the No. 1 choice projected in the 2021 draft of the WNBA, was also included in the national vote.
The wooden award honoring the best female college basketball player was established in 2004. Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon won the award in 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Wooden Award All-America team will be announced in late March, with the 2021 winner revealed after the NCAA tournament in April.