ATLANTA – Northwestern forward Nia Coffey is among the 50 players on the watch list for the 2017 Naismith Women's College Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday.
The Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the best men's and women's basketball players in the country. The mid-season list of 30 candidates will be announced on February 8, 2017, with 10 finalists revealed later in March.
The three-time All-Big Ten first team member is off to a stellar start in her senior season, averaging 22.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Minneapolis, Minn., native has three double-doubles on the year while leading Northwestern to a 5-1 record, including a signature win over No. 16 Florida.
Coffey has scored in double figures in 54-straight games, dating back to Jan. 22, 2015, for the second-best streak in program history and averaged a team-best 20.3 points per game just last year. During the 2015-16 season, she led the Big Ten in double-doubles with 18 to tie an NU single-season record and was the only Big Ten player to rank among the league's top five in points (20.3 ppg), rebounds (9.8 ppg) and blocks (2.0 bpg).
Chicago's Big Ten Team is back in action on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. when it welcomes Virginia to Welsh-Ryan Arena as a part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the best men's and women's basketball players in the country. The mid-season list of 30 candidates will be announced on February 8, 2017, with 10 finalists revealed later in March.
The three-time All-Big Ten first team member is off to a stellar start in her senior season, averaging 22.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Minneapolis, Minn., native has three double-doubles on the year while leading Northwestern to a 5-1 record, including a signature win over No. 16 Florida.
Coffey has scored in double figures in 54-straight games, dating back to Jan. 22, 2015, for the second-best streak in program history and averaged a team-best 20.3 points per game just last year. During the 2015-16 season, she led the Big Ten in double-doubles with 18 to tie an NU single-season record and was the only Big Ten player to rank among the league's top five in points (20.3 ppg), rebounds (9.8 ppg) and blocks (2.0 bpg).
Chicago's Big Ten Team is back in action on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. when it welcomes Virginia to Welsh-Ryan Arena as a part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.