University of Connecticut Athletics
Edwards Selected as Naismith Player of the Year Semifinalist
3/9/2023 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. – UConn women's basketball junior Aaliyah Edwards was selected as one of 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's College Player of the Year, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club Thursday.
Edwards has stepped up as an upperclassman, averaging career highs with 16.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. She is shooting 57.3 percent from the field this year. Edwards has been crucial to UConn's successes this season as one of only two Huskies to play in every game this season.
Last weekend, Edwards was named the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player after leading the Huskies to the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament Championship. She had three straight double-doubles in UConn's three games and averaged 19.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
Edwards was named the 2022-23 BIG EAST Most Improved Player and unanimously selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
Edwards has 14 double-doubles this season. She came into the year with three previous career double-doubles, all from her freshman season.
The Kingston, Ontario, native set a career high with 26 points vs. Florida State on Dec. 18. She has scored in double digits in 23 games this season.
Against Creighton on Dec. 28, Edwards set a career high with 20 rebounds. She became the first Husky with 20 rebounds in a game since Maya Moore on Deb. 24, 2010.
Edwards was named the Phil Knight Legacy MVP after averaging 18.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in wins over Duke and No. 9 Iowa.
Edwards surpassed 1,000 career points in UConn's game vs. No. 1 South Carolina last month. Against top-25 opponents this season, she is averaging 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 56.4 percent from the field.
The award's four finalists will be announced on Tuesday, March 21. The Fan Vote to help narrow the list down to the final honoree will open Tuesday, March 21, and close Tuesday, March 28. The fan vote will account for?five percent of the overall final vote. The 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's Player of the Year will be awarded on Wednesday, March 29 during the Women's Final Four.
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