March 14, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky senior guard A’dia Mathies has been named one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award for the second straight season, as announced Thursday by The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The national ballot will be mailed to Wooden Award voters this week, with voting beginning March 18. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the ballot is made up of 15 student-athletes who are the final contenders for women’s college basketball’s most prestigious honor.
Mathies, the Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Year, has been a key cog in the Wildcats’ success again this season. She has scored in double figures in 30-of-32 games this season, including 23 in a row in helping UK win a school-record tying 13 games in conference play, and rank in the top 10 of both national polls 19 straight weeks. The Wildcats, heading into their school-record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, are just one win shy of tying the school record for wins with a 27-5 overall mark.
The Louisville, Ky., native leads No. 7 Kentucky in scoring (15.9 ppg), 3-point field goals made (64), 3-point percentage (.408) and field goals made (185). She is second on the team in assists (2.3 apg) and steals (1.9 spg), and third in rebounds (4.5 rpg). She ranks in the top 10 on four UK single-season lists, including third in 3-point field goal percentage (.408), tied for sixth in 3-point field goals made (64), tied for ninth in scoring (510) and eighth in 3-point field goals attempted (157).
In SEC-only games, Mathies ranked second in scoring (18.2 ppg) and 3-point FG percentage (.447), third in 3-point field goals made per game (2.4), fifth in free-throw percentage (.810) and eighth in field-goal percentage (.417).
In addition to being named the SEC Co-Player of the Year, Mathies also was named to the All-SEC first team and SEC All-Tournament team. She is the first player to earn back-to-back SEC Player of the Year titles from the league coaches since Seimone Augustus of LSU did it in 2005 and 2006.
Mathies is also on the watch lists for the State Farm Wade Trophy, the Naismith Trophy and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
The Wooden Award All-American Team, consisting of the nation’s top five players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year will be announced at the 2013 Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy’s on April 12, 2013 at The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The Gala will honor the men’s and women’s Wooden Award winners, All-Americans and the Legends of Coaching Award winner, Kansas Head Coach Bill Self.
