The Her Hoop Stats Fab 15 Freshmen
As selected by USBWA women's representative Mel Greenberg
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We are proud to announce the Her Hoop Stats Fab 15 Freshman in conjunction with Mel Greenberg, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) women’s representative.
The players were selected from the nation’s 32 conference freshmen of the year recipients. These 15 players dominated their conferences and ranked highly among freshmen and all players in the nation in various statistical categories.
Additionally, six freshmen who were selected to their conference’s all-freshman team have been selected as honorable mentions.
Fab 15
Aliyah Boston (South Carolina): The first South Carolina player to be named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Boston led the Gamecocks in blocks, 86, and rebounds per game, 9.4. She also finished as the second-leading scorer on the SEC champions.
Haley Cavinder (Fresno State): Became the first freshman named to the Mountain West All-Conference Team since 2013-14 after averaging 14.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Cavinder was the only freshman to rank in the top 10 of the MWC in both categories.
Dyaisha Fair (Buffalo): The highest-scoring freshman in the nation, her 22.0 points per game were fourth in Division I, with 20 games of 20-plus points. Added 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. She was the Mid-American Freshman of the Year and second-team All-MAC.
Abby Feit (Evansville): The Missouri Valley freshman of the year, Feit is the first freshman to lead the Aces in scoring since 2013-14. Led the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks, and 3-pointers.
Alex Fowler (Portland): Selected to the WCC All-Conference First Team, the first Portland player selected since 2011-12. Led the conference in scoring with 17.5 points per game, and was fifth in rebounding at 7.9 per game.
Aislynn Hayes (Middle Tennessee State): Selected as the unanimous C-USA Freshman of the Year, and became the first player to ever be named USBWA National Freshman of the Week three times. Averaged 14.1 points per game, which was second on the team and 10th in the conference.
Jada Holland (Grand Canyon): Named to the WAC First-Team All-Conference after scoring 11.7 points per game and 1.5 steals. Her 4.9 assists per game were second-highest in the conference.
Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech): Easily broke the program record for field goal percentage in an ACC season with 57.3% shooting for 12.5 points per game. Her 7.5 rebounds per game were second on the team.
Ila Lane (UC Santa Barbara): Was the only player in the Big West to average a double-double (15.3 points and 13.0 rebounds), and her 13.0 rebounds per game were third-best in the nation. Recorded 19 double-doubles, which led the conference and were fourth in Division I.
Ayoka Lee (Kansas State): Ranked in the top 11 nationally in rebounds (11.7, 11th), blocks (3.1, 7th), double-doubles (19, 9th), and offensive rebounds (4.2, 9th). Named Big 12 Freshman of the Week a league-record 12 times.
Ashley Owusu (Maryland): Named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, and was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP. Second on Maryland in scoring at 12.0 points per game, and second in the Big Ten with 5.4 assists per game.
Kyla McMakin (Longwood): Named First Team All-Big South after leading all players with 18.6 points per game, the highest total in the Big South since 2012-13. Her 539 points are the third-most by a freshman in league history. McMakin also ranked seventh in the conference in steals.
Kayla Padilla (Penn): Named the Ivy League Freshman of the Week six times after leading the Quakers with 17.4 points per game. Ranked second in the Ivy League in scoring and 3-point shooting percentage (39.9%), and eighth in field goal percentage (41.6%).
Alissa Pili (USC): Was the only freshman named to the media’s All-Pac-12 Team, and the first since Oregon’s duo of Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard were selected in 2016-17. Led the Pac-12 in scoring, rebounds, and double-doubles.
Maddy Siegrist (Villanova): Second in the Big East in scoring with 19.1 points per game, and led the conference with 9.3 rebounds per game. Scored 20-plus points in 14 games, the most in the Big East. Named the USBWA National Freshman of the Week two times.
Honorable Mention
Sam Brunelle (Notre Dame): Named to the ACC All-Freshman Team after scoring 13.9 points per game. Finished 11th in the ACC with 1.9 3-pointers per game.
Zia Cooke (South Carolina): Named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after tying for third in scoring for South Carolina with 12.0 points per game. Led the Gamecocks in free throws made and taken, going 79-for-111.
Leilani Correa (St. John’s): Selected unanimously to the Big East All-Freshman Team. Finished second on the team with 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Also named the Big East Sixth Woman of the Year.
Abbey Hsu (Columbia): Named the All-Met (NY) Rookie of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association after scoring 14.3 points per game on a 45.7% shooting percentage.
Rickea Jackson (Mississippi State): Led Mississippi State in scoring at 15.1 points per game en route to being named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Also finished third in rebounding average at 5.1 per game.
Taylor Jones (Oregon State): Named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team after averaging 12.3 points per game. Also led the conference in blocked shots per game (1.9) and led the Beavers in field goal percentage (58.3%).
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!