An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not compete together as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media. Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889.[1] The 2018 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans are honorary lists that will include All-American selections from the Associated Press (AP),[2] the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA),[3] and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)[4] for the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Both AP and USBWA choose three teams, while WBCA lists 10 honorees.
A consensus All-America team in women's basketball has never been organized. This differs from the practice in men's basketball, in which the NCAA uses a combination of selections by AP, USBWA, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and the Sporting News to determine a consensus All-America team. The selection of a consensus All-America men's basketball team is possible because all four organizations select at least a first and second team, with only the USBWA not selecting a third team.
Before the 2017–18 season, it was impossible for a consensus women's All-America team to be determined because the AP had been the only body that divided its women's selections into separate teams. The USBWA first named separate teams in 2017–18. The women's counterpart to the NABC, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), continues the USBWA's former practice of selecting a single 10-member (plus ties) team. The Sporting News does not select an All-America team in women's basketball.
By selector
Associated Press (AP)
| First team | Second team | Third team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | School | Player | School | Player | School |
| Asia Durr | Louisville | Kalani Brown | Baylor | Lexie Brown | Duke |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon | Megan Gustafson | Iowa | Jordin Canada | UCLA |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | UConn | Kelsey Mitchell | Ohio | Napheesa Collier | UConn |
| Victoria Vivians | Mississippi State | Arike Ogunbowale | Notre Dame | Myisha Hines-Allen | Louisville |
| A'ja Wilson | South Carolina | Gabby Williams | UConn | Teaira McCowan | Mississippi State |
AP Honorable Mention
|
|
|
United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA)
| First team | Second team | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | School | Player | School |
| Asia Durr | Louisville | Kalani Brown | Baylor |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon | Jordin Canada | UCLA |
| Kelsey Mitchell | Ohio | Megan Gustafson | Iowa |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | UConn | Arike Ogunbowale | UCLA |
| A'ja Wilson | South Carolina | Victoria Vivians | Mississippi State |
| Gabby Williams | UConn | ||
Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Kalani Brown | Baylor |
| Asia Durr | Louisville |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon |
| Teaira McCowan | Mississippi State |
| Kelsey Mitchell | Ohio |
| Arike Ogunbowale | Notre Dame |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | UConn |
| Victoria Vivians | Mississippi State |
| Gabby Williams | UConn |
| A'ja Wilson | South Carolina |
By player
| Player | School | Year | AP | USBWA | WBCA | Notes[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Durr | Louisville | Jr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 42.5 3P% |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon | So | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 7.8 apg, 43.7 3P% |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | UConn | Jr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 53.1 FG%, 46.2 3P% |
| Victoria Vivians | Mississippi State | Sr | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.5 steals |
| A'ja Wilson | South Carolina | Sr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22.6 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 3.2 blocks, 55.0 FG% |
| Kalani Brown | Baylor | Jr | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 1.2 blocks, 66.3 FG% |
| Megan Gustafson | Iowa | Jr | 2 | 2 | – | 25.6 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 2.1 blocks, 66.8 FG% |
| Kelsey Mitchell | Ohio | Sr | 2 | 1 | 1 | 24.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 40.8 3P% |
| Arike Ogunbowale | Notre Dame | Jr | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 steals |
| Gabby Williams | UConn | Sr | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.2 apg, 2.6 steals, 59.1 FG% |
| Lexie Brown | Duke | Sr | 3 | – | – | 20.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.4 apg, 3.5 steals |
| Jordin Canada | UCLA | Sr | 3 | 2 | – | 16.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6.9 apg, 3.2 steals |
| Napheesa Collier | UConn | Jr | 3 | – | – | 15.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 56.5 FG% |
| Myisha Hines-Allen | Louisville | Sr | 3 | – | – | 13.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 53.1 FG% |
| Teaira McCowan | Mississippi State | Jr | 3 | – | 1 | 17.7 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 2.0 blocks, 60.2 FG% |
References
- ↑ The Michigan alumnus. University of Michigan Library. 2010. p. 495. ASIN B0037HO8MY.
- 1 2 "Wilson headlines AP women's All-America team". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ↑ "USBWA > All-America > Women". sportswriters.net. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ↑ "Past Teams - NCAA Division I". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. May 9, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2020.