A’dia Mathies named AP SEC Player of the Year

Congratulations to A’dia Mathies, who was named the AP’s SEC Player of the Year for the second straight season. Mathies also was a unanimous first-team selection for the second year in a row, while junior center DeNesha Stallworth was named to the second team.

Mathies is UK Hoop’s fourth consecutive AP SEC Player of the Year, after Victoria Dunlap took the honor in 2010 and 2011. No other SEC school has won more than two consecutive POY awards since the AP began naming a top player in 1997.

Matthew Mitchell had this to say of his senior star: “A’dia Mathies is the smartest basketball player I’ve ever been around and that I’ve ever had the chance to coach. I certainly haven’t been around anybody that’s been more meaningful to a program than she has here at Kentucky. She’s really helped us get to a different spot than where we were when she entered the program so it’s really been a great, great experience and I hope we have a lot more games to watch her play in a Kentucky uniform but when it’s all over, she will absolutely go down as one of the greats to ever play here.”

The girls, seeded 2nd in the NCAA Tournament, take on #15 Navy in Queens, New York on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.