Mu et McGraw coach, A’ja Wilson player of year

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Notre Dame coach Mu et McGraw called this the toughest year of her Hall of Fame career. Having four players go down for the season with ACL injuries will do that.

She still won The Associated Press women’s basketball Coach of the Year on Thursday after getting the Irish to a 33-3 record and the team’s first trip to the Final Four in three seasons.

“Without question this was the most challenging because of the constant stream of injuries,” she said. “There goes another one. We had to continually reboot and retool the o ense and had to go to the zone for numbers.”

McGraw received 10 votes from the 32-member national media panel that votes for the weekly AP Top 25. Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer also garnered 10 votes and McGraw won a runo .

“Vic had an incredible season as well,” McGraw said of the Bulldogs coach who guided his team to only one loss and the SEC regular season crown.

That loss came to South Carolina, which was led by AP Player of the Year A’ja Wilson.

“We watch this game of basketball and there are so many great players. To be listed as the top player is a crazy feeling,” Wilson said. “Going from a little girl who didn’t want to touch a basketball to now being player of the year is an amazing feeling.”

Wilson was the overwhelming choice, receiving 22 votes. UConn’s Katie Lou Samuelson was second with five. Kalani Brown of Baylor, Asia Durr of Louisville, Megan Gustafson of Iowa, Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon and Victoria Vivians of Mississippi State each received one vote.

The South Carolina star, who is the first player from the school to win the AP award, is the consensus first pick in the upcoming WNBA draft.