Former UConn Women’s Basketball Star Breanna Stewart Named AP WNBA Player of the Year

The AP announced their 2018 WNBA end-of-season awards recipients on Tuesday, which included six former UConn women’s basketball stars.

Breanna Stewart was named the AP WNBA player of the year. Stewart, who is also considered the front-runner for the MVP award this season, ranks second in the league with 21.8 points per game. She tallies 1.27 points per scoring attempt for the top ranked Seattle Storm. Her 8.4 rebounds per game also rank third in league, and she is one of only 11 players in WNBA history to average over 20 points and eight rebounds per game.

In addition to Stewart, former Huskies Tiffany Hayes and Diana Taurasi were named to the All-WNBA First Team. Hayes, who is the second-ranked Atlanta Dream’s lead scorer, averages 17.2 points per game, which ranks 13th in the league. She also adds 2.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Taurasi is having another All-Star caliber season with 20.7 points per game (3rd in the league). She also leads the league in three-pointers made with 106 this season.

Maya Moore was named to the All-WNBA Second Team, with 18.0 points per game and four performances of 30 or more points.

Additionally, Kia Nurse and Azura Stevens were both named to the All-Rookie team after impressive debut seasons. Stevens scored 8.9 points per game, and ranked second among rookies for blocks per game, and third for total rebounds per game. Nurse ranked fifth among rookies with 9.1 points per game, and her 1.5 win shares ranked fourth in the rookie class.