The American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the American Athletic Conference's most outstanding player, as chosen by the league's head coaches. The conference formed in 2013–14 after many schools departed from the original Big East Conference to form a new Big East Conference.
| American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | the most outstanding basketball player in the American Athletic Conference |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 2014 |
| Currently held by | Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and Elena Tsineke, South Florida |
The first seven awards were claimed by players from UConn, which left after the 2019–20 season to join the current Big East, having won every conference game in both regular-season and tournament play during its American tenure. Breanna Stewart won the first three awards in 2014,[1] 2015,[2] and 2016.[3] The following season saw the first-ever shared award, with Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson sharing honors.[4] Each would win the award once more as an individual.
Key
edit| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national Player of the Year award: Wade Trophy (1977–78 to present) Naismith College Player of the Year (1982–83 to present) John R. Wooden Award (2003–04 to present) |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player had been awarded the AAC Player of the Year award at that point |
Winners
edit
| Season | Player | School | Position | Class | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Breanna Stewart* | UConn | F | Sophomore | [1] |
| 2014–15 | Breanna Stewart* (2) | UConn | F | Junior | [2] |
| 2015–16 | Breanna Stewart* (3) | UConn | F | Senior | [3] |
| 2016–17† | Napheesa Collier | UConn | F | Sophomore | [4] |
| 2016–17† | Katie Lou Samuelson | UConn | G/F | Sophomore | [4] |
| 2017–18 | Katie Lou Samuelson (2) | UConn | G/F | Junior | [5] |
| 2018–19 | Napheesa Collier (2) | UConn | F | Senior | [6] |
| 2019–20 | Megan Walker | UConn | F | Junior | [7] |
| 2020–21 | IImar'I Thomas | Cincinnati | F | Senior | [8] |
| 2021–22 | Diamond Battles | UCF | G | Senior | [9] |
| 2022–23† | Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu | South Florida | F | [10] | |
| 2022–23† | Elena Tsineke | South Florida | G |
Winners by school
edit| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| UConn (2013)[a] | 8 | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 (x2)†[a 1], 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| South Florida (2013) | 2 | 2023 (x2) |
| Cincinnati (2013)[b] | 1 | 2021 |
| UCF (2013)[b] | 1 | 2022 |
| East Carolina (2014) | 0 | — |
| Houston (2013)[b] | 0 | — |
| Louisville (2013)[c] | 0 | — |
| Memphis (2013) | 0 | — |
| Rutgers (2013)[c] | 0 | — |
| SMU (2013)[d] | 0 | — |
| Temple (2013) | 0 | — |
| Tulane (2014) | 0 | — |
| Tulsa (2014) | 0 | — |
| Wichita State (2017) | 0 | — |
- ^ UConn left The American after the 2019–20 season to join the current Big East Conference.[11]
- ^ a b c Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left after the 2022–23 season for the Big 12 Conference.
- ^ a b Louisville and Rutgers played only the 2013–14 season in The American. After that season, they respectively left for the ACC[12] and Big Ten.[13]
- ^ SMU left for the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2023–24 season.
Notes
edit- ^ In 2016–17, two UConn players shared the Player of the Year award. Both are counted in the total tally of Player of the Year Awards by school.
References
edit- ^ a b "UConn's Breanna Stewart Named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ a b "UConn's Stewart Named American Player of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ a b "Stewart Named 2016 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c "UConn's Collier, Samuelson Named American Women's Basketball Players of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ^ "Katie Lou Samuelson Repeats as Women's Basketball Player of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ "UConn's Collier Named 2019 Women's Basketball Player of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "UConn's Walker Named 2020 Women's Basketball Player of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ "Cincinnati's IImar'I Thomas Voted 2021 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "UCF's Diamond Battles Named 2022 Women's Basketball Player And Defensive Player Of The Year". American Athletic Conference. March 6, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ "2022-23 Women's Basketball Postseason Honors". American Athletic Conference. March 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (July 26, 2019). "UConn leaving AAC in '20, will owe $17M exit fee". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ "ACC Extends Formal Invitation for Membership to the University of Louisville" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. November 28, 2012. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "Rutgers University To Join The Big Ten Conference" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. November 20, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved November 20, 2012.