When it comes to individual awards, none are more prestigious than National Player of the Year. The award is given to the player deemed to be the best in the country, and part of that is playing on a winning team — one that can compete for a national title — and being a driving force behind that success.
Early in the season, Sarah Strong looked poised to run away with the award, but she certainly has challengers, including Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt and Lauren Betts from UCLA.
Here are my top 10 players – in order – who are in competition for the award.
1. Sarah Strong
The defending champion UConn Huskies are the top team in the country and Sarah Strong is at the helm. She’s leading the Huskies in every category with 19.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. She’s also shooting 60 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from beyond the arc and 91.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Of course, UConn doesn’t play in a strong conference, so that could be used as an argument against Strong. But consider this: The level of play of her opponents doesn’t affect the way Strong performs. Against Louisville she had 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Against Michigan, Strong recorded 16 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and four blocks. Against Ohio State, she had 29 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks. The list goes on.
Strong is the best player in the country and her impact cannot be understated. Which is why she is my top pick for Player of the Year.
2. Mikayla Blakes
Blakes is just as important to Vanderbilt as Strong is to UConn. The Commodores are 23-2 this season, No. 5 in the country, and a force in the SEC. All of that is largely because of Blakes. She chose Vandy because she wanted a chance to help build a program and create a legacy. That’s already happening. Blakes is the country’s leading scorer with 25.9 points per game, including nine games in which she scored 30 or more points. Four of those came against ranked SEC opponents.
But Blakes is more than just a scorer. She’s a high IQ player that Vandy needs on the court at all times – she’s averaging 33.8 minutes per game. Blakes is also Vandy’s best defender, averaging 3.1 steals per game, and was named to the Naismith DPOY watch list.
3. Lauren Betts
UCLA’s 6-foot-7 center is the most dominant big in the country. Betts manages to navigate double and triple teams every night, while playing through contact and scoring 16.4 points per game. Her scoring is down from last season (20.2 points per game) but only because UCLA has so many weapons, including six players who are projected to be picked in the WNBA Draft.
Betts is a true two-way player who is just as dominant on defense as she is on offense, grabbing 8.2 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. The senior has led UCLA to a perfect record in the Big Ten, one of the country’s most challenging conferences. Part of what makes Betts so good is her ability to create offense for her entire team. She’s a skilled passer out of the post (averaging 3.1 assists per game) and is able to set up her teammates for open looks, either by passing or by sealing her defender and creating lanes to the rim.
4. Madison Booker
The Texas star’s talent can sometimes be hard to quantify because she plays differently than most people in today’s basketball. The 6-foot-1 junior forward, who often serves as the initiator of her team’s offense, does most of her scoring in the midrange. She’s averaging 18.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Booker’s height and length allow her to score over opponents, while also using that vision to excel as a passer.
Anyone playing for Vic Schaefer must prioritize defense, and Booker certainly does. She’s a master of getting in passing lanes and can also guard small, shift guards due to her wingspan. Booker averages 2.4 steals per game, but her defense goes beyond the stat sheet. She speeds up opponents and forces them into contested shots. Often, Booker rebounds those misses herself and is able to lead the Longhorns on the fastbreak.
5. Azzi Fudd
Fudd is a crucial piece to UConn’s success, but her POY campaign is derailed due to the presence of her teammate Strong. Fudd, a 5-foot-11 senior, is having an excellent season in her own right, averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc and playing the best defense of her career.
6. Kiki Rice
UCLA’s point guard finds herself in the same position as Fudd. Though she’s leading one of the country’s top teams, her center would likely be the Bruin to take home the POY award. Still, Rice’s improvement from last season to this season — as well as the way she commands the UCLA attack — earns her a mention. She’s averaging a career-high 15.4 points per game, which is hard to do among UCLA’s many scoring weapons, while dishing out 4.6 assists and shooting 42.1 percent from the three-point line (another career mark).
7. Olivia Miles
TCU’s senior point guard is averaging 19.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, continuing her reputation as a player who does it all. Miles also has four triple-doubles on the season, three of which happened in back-to-back-to-back games. Miles commands defensive attention, which helps her set up teammates, like Marta Suarez and Donovyn Hunter, who are both averaging career-highs in points this season. Miles continues to show up against top opponents, scoring 40 points in her team’s most recent 83-67 victory over Baylor.
8. Joyce Edwards
Another talented big, Edwards’ versatility is what makes her stand out, as she’s able to score in the post and attack off the dribble. Edwards is averaging 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. She leads the No. 1 team in the SEC in both points and steals. Her campaign is also impacted by the depth of the Gamecocks. Between Edwards, Ta’Niya Latson, Tessa Johnson and Medina Okot, the team’s top player changes game by game. That’s great for South Carolina, but not for a POY race.
9. Maggie Doogan
No one in the country is as important to their team as Doogan is to Richmond. Last season’s A-10 player of the year is leading the Spiders in points (22.3), rebounds (8.2) and blocks per game (1.1). She can score from anywhere on the court, and though it can’t impact her POY campaign, it should be noted that Doogan was dominant in her team’s tournament loss to UCLA last season (she finished with 27 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds). This just proves that despite playing for a mid-major team, Doogan is a Power Four talent.
10. Audi Crooks
When Iowa State was 14-0 to start the season, Crooks was a frontrunner for this award. But the Cyclones are now 18-6, unranked and 7th in the Big 12. Part of being Player of the Year is leading your team to success, and Crooks hasn’t fully done that. Still, her talent is undeniable. No one has been able to stop Crooks as a scorer, where she averages 25.5 points per game (the second best mark in the country). Her lowest scoring total came in a win over UCF on Jan. 31 when she had 10 points, but Crooks was still 4 of 8 shooting with 13 rebounds. On the season she has recorded six games with 30 points or more, including 47 against Indiana in November.
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