USF's Courtney Williams a finalist for Wade Trophy

She led The American in points per game. She's eighth in the nation in scoring, with an unprecedented 710 points scored at USF. And now, the Bulls’ junior guard Courtney Williams is ranked among the elite, as one of the 12 finalists for The Wade Trophy – the Heisman of women’s college basketball.

Selected by a vote of committee members consisting of basketball coaches, journalists and administrators, Williams is one of six non-seniors remaining in the hunt for the most prestigious award in women’s basketball, presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding NCAA Division I women’s basketball player.

“The WBCA congratulates these outstanding student-athletes for being named finalists for women’s basketball’s highest honor, the Wade Trophy,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew.  “These finalists have demonstrated excellence on the basketball court, in addition to a commitment to academics, sportsmanship, and ethical conduct.  They captivated national audiences with their talent throughout the season and have left their mark on our game.  We celebrate these individuals, their teams, and coaches.”

Williams led the Bulls in scoring, assists and steals this season while adding 7.5 rebounds and racking up eight double-doubles. Collecting an astounding twenty 20-point games, Williams rattled off ten consecutive 20-point games during the conference season, and was the only player to record 20 points twice against No. 1 UConn this season. She was a unanimous choice for the All-American Athletic Conference First Team, and was one of 52 athletes to earn WBCA All-Region honors.

In addition to The Wade Trophy watch list, Williams was named to watch lists for the Naismith Trophy, the Dawn Staley Award, and the Wooden Award. She ranks fifth in USF history in points scored, surpassing the 1,000 and 1,500-point benchmarks this season. The junior also ranks 11th on USF’s all-time rebounding list with 645, is 15th on USF’s assists list (231) and 12th in blocks (63).

The winner of The Wade Trophy will be announced during the WBCA Awards Show, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. ET Monday, April 6, in the Grand Ballroom at the Tampa Marriott Waterside.  The event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women’s Final Four.

The Wade Trophy Finalists are as follows:

The Wade Trophy, now in its 38^th year, is named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade.  This most esteemed award, regarded as “The Heisman of Women’s Basketball”, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. 

Last year, Baylor’s Odyssey Sims received the prestigious award.  Connecticut’s Maya Moore was the first student-athlete to win the award three consecutive years (2009, 2010 and 2011).  The first recipient of the Wade Trophy was Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State in 1978.  Other Wade Trophy/NCAA Division I Player of the Year recipients include many WNBA standouts such as Teresa Weatherspoon (1988), DeLisha Milton-Jones (1997), Candace Parker (2007), Ticha Penicheiro (1998), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003), Seimone Augustus (2005 & 2006), Maya Moore (2009-2011) and Brittney Griner (2012 & 2013).

Information written and provided by USF Athletics