ATLANTA, Ga. — The WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Selection Committee has named Tennessee standout Rennia Davis to its midseason “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the 2020 Wade Trophy, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
The Wade Trophy, now in its 43nd year, is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
The 6-foot-2 junior from Jacksonville, Fla., is averaging a career-best 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest to lead the Lady Vols, ranking second and seventh, respectively, among SEC players. In conference action, she has averaged 20.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, ranking second among all league players in scoring and eighth in rebounding.
The UT standout is shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 80.7 percent from the free-throw line in all games to rank ninth and third, respectively, in the conference. In SEC play, she is hitting field goals at a 52.8-percent clip to rank fifth among her peers and is third at the charity stripe with an 82.6 percentage.
Davis leads the team in three-pointers with 30 buckets from long range and is second in steals (23) and third in assists (56).
Davis, who has led a young Tennessee squad to a 17-8 record, has scored in double figures in 22 straight games and in 23 of her 24 contests this season. Including last year, she has hit 10 or more points in 36 of her past 37 starts. She has registered five 20-point games so far in 2019-20, moving into a tie for ninth on UT’s career list with 12 games of scoring 20 or more.
She also has tallied eight double-double efforts thus far and would move into the top 10 all-time for Lady Vol juniors with just one more. She currently ranks 11th in career double-doubles with 26 during her time on Rocky Top.
Earlier this season, Davis reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau, becoming the 46th Lady Vol to reach that milestone. She has since climbed to No. 31 on the list with 1,294 points entering the Arkansas game.
Davis previously has been announced as a member of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, the Citizen Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 and the Cheryl Miller Award Top 10.
The WBCA will announce the four finalists for the honor in mid-March. The winner of the 2020 Wade Trophy will be announced April 2 in New Orleans, site of the 2020 WBCA Convention and NCAA Women’s Final Four.
Click here for the complete 40-member 2020 “Wade Watch” list.
About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
Founded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.
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