Next October head coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies will begin their quest for a second consecutive (and ninth overall) national title.
On Saturday the program continued a streak of sorts, as signee Saniya Chong was named Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year by Parade Magazine. Chong, who hails from Ossining, N.Y., is the third Player of the Year in a row to sign with UConn.
Chong, who averaged 34.4 points per game and led her high school to its first-ever state title, beat out Rebekah Dahlman (Vanderbilt signee), Diamond Deshields (North Carolina), Kianna Holland (Duke), and Tori Jankoska (Michigan State) for the award.
North Carolina has three players on the Parade All-American Team, which can be seen below.
Name | Pos. | High School | Ht. | College |
Lindsay Allen | G | St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) | 5-7 | Notre Dame |
Lakota Beatty | G | Anadarko (Okla.) | 5-8 | Oklahoma State |
Lexie Brown | G | North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) | 5-8 | Maryland |
Dennisha Chambers | G | Louisiana New Tech (Plain Dealing, La.) | 5-5 | Grambling State |
Saniya Chong | G | Ossining (N.Y.) | 5-10 | UConn |
Alaina Coates | C | Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) | 6-5 | South Carolina |
Rebekah Dahlman | G | Braham (Minn.) | 5-9 | Vanderbilt |
Nina Davis | F | Memphis Central (Memphis, Tenn.) | 6-0 | Baylor |
Diamond DeShields | G | Norcross (Ga.) | 6-2 | North Carolina |
Ally Disterhoft | G | West (Iowa City, Iowa) | 6-0 | Iowa |
Makayla Epps | G | Marion County (Lebanon, Ky.) | 5-9 | Kentucky |
Amanda Fioravanti | F | Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) | 6-1 | Virginia |
Becca Greenwell | G | Owensboro Catholic (Ky.) | 6-1 | Duke |
Ciara Gregory | G | Jeannette (Pa.) | 5-7 | Charlotte |
Linnae Harper | G | Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) | 5-6 | Kentucky |
Breanna Hayden | G | James Madison (Dallas, Texas) | 5-9 | Baylor |
Olivia Healy | F | Reading (Mass.) | 5-10 | Richmond |
Ahlisha Henderson | C | Reseda (Los Angeles, Calif.) | 6-3 | Grambling State |
Kianna Holland | G | Seneca (S.C.) | 5-9 | Duke |
Jessica Jackson | F | Jacksonville (Ark.) | 6-2 | Arkansas |
Tori Jankoska | G | Freeland (Mich.) | 5-8 | Michigan State |
Kailee Johnson | F | Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) | 6-3 | Stanford |
Breyana Mason | G | Forest Park (Woodbridge, Va) | 5-8 | Virginia |
Stephanie Mavunga | C | Brownsburg (Ind.) | 6-3 | North Carolina |
Erica McCall | F | Ridgeview (Bakersfield, Calif.) | 6-2 | Stanford |
Brandy Montgomery | G | Lincoln Park (Fort Pierce, Fla.) | 5-11 | Auburn |
KiKi Patterson | G | Columbus (Miss.) | 5-9 | Mississippi State |
Kelsey Plum | G | La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) | 5-9 | Washington |
Kaitlyn Pratt | F | McDonogh 35 (New Orleans, La.) | 6-0 | Arkansas-Little Rock |
Bianca Quisenberry | G | Tecumseh (New Carlisle, Ohio) | 5-8 | Cincinnati |
Taya Reimer | F | Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) | 6-2 | Notre Dame |
Mercedes Russell | C | Springfield (Ore.) | 6-6 | Tennessee |
Tyler Scaife | G | Hall (Little Rock, Ark.) | 5-9 | Rutgers |
Ieshia Small | F | Florida High (Tallahassee, Fla.) | 6-0 | Baylor |
Jazmine Spears | F | New Albany (Miss.) | 5-11 | Mississippi State |
Malia Tate-DeFreitas | G | Steelton-Highspire (Steelton, Pa.) | 5-8 | Hampton |
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough | F | Hopewell (Aliquippa, Pa.) | 5-11 | Maryland |
Jessica Washington | G | Jenks (Tulsa. Okla.) | 5-8 | North Carolina |
Ronni Williams | F | Atlantic (Port Orange, Fla.) | 6-2 | Florida |
Faith Woodard | F | Freedom (Tampa, Fla.) | 6-2 | Georgetown |
Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.