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Prince Announced as Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist - TCU Athletics
FORT WORTH – Sedona Prince will challenge for a third national player of the year accolade.
Prince Announced as Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist
FORT WORTH – Sedona Prince will challenge for a third national player of the year accolade.
The 6-7 center was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year award on Tuesday as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Prince is one of 10 semifinalists for the award, which will be presented during NCAA Final Four weekend at the Naismith Awards Brunch.
She is one of two players from the Big 12 represented on the watch list alongside West Virginia guard JJ Quinerly.
Prince was announced as one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the nation's top player, on Sunday in advance of the Big 12 Championship final. She was also tabbed a top five finalist for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award on Thursday.
A product of Liberty Hill, Texas, Prince is arguably the best rim protector in college basketball. She ranks third nationally in blocks (99) and has averaged three-or-more per game for the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign. Prince has finished with three-or-more blocks on 17 occasions and recorded eight games with at least five rejections. Her 17 multi-block games are the fourth-most of any player in America.
With Prince patrolling the paint, No. 6 TCU has prevented 27-of-33 opponents from meeting their season scoring average, including 18-of-21 in Big 12 play. TCU held 14 teams below 50 points during the regular season and prevented an identical number from shooting better than 33 percent from the field.
Prince is averaging 17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and three blocks per game ahead of the NCAA Tournament. She is one of two D1 players averaging at least 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game.
She has tallied an NCAA-leading seven double-doubles vs. ranked teams, leading the Horned Frogs (31-3, 16-2 Big 12) to an 8-2 mark opposite the AP Top 25. Prince is one of just two players averaging a double-double at the expense of ranked foes, with the other being fellow Naismith Defensive Player of Year semifinalist Aneesah Morrow (LSU). Prince has averaged 18.4 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game across the Frogs' 10 ranked tilts.
Prince was a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team and All-Big 12 First Team. She was named Big 12 Player of the Week a league-leading three times and was twice recognized as the Ann Meyers-Drysdale National Player of the Week.
Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists
Lauren Betts (UCLA)
Talaysia Cooper (Tennessee)
Rori Harmon (Texas)
Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)
Aneesah Morrow (LSU)
Sedona Prince (TCU)
JJ Quinerly (West Virginia)
Taylor Thierry (Ohio State)
Makayla Timpson (Florida State)
Juju Watkins (USC)
