Danville’s Collier repeats as NAIA National Player of Year

For the second consecutive season a Marian women’s basketball player has been named NAIA National Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and for the second consecutive season, that player is Danville grad Ella Collier.

A four-time All-American and twotime Crossroads League Player of the Year, Collier became the program’s alltime leading scorer in February (2,221 points) and enters Thursday’s Round of 16 game vs. Jamestown averaging 19 points with 57 steals and a team-high 82 assists. She is the only player in the NAIA to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 90% at the line (leads the nation at 93.6%), and is on pace to end her career with four consecutive seasons at 50/40/90.

Collier, who scored a season-high 28 points on 10-of-23 shooting in an 8786 overtime win over Spring Arbor in November, also holds Marian career records for 3-pointers, 3-point percentage, free throws made and free throw percentage, and ranks top-10 all-time for shooting percentage, assists, steals and minutes played.

The 6-0 guard is the first repeat NAIA national POY since Westmont College’s Tugce Canitez (2012-13). She and Imani Guy (2021) are the only Knights to have received the award.

“The WBCA is pleased to once again name Ella Collier as the WBCA NAIA Player of the Year,” WBCA executive director Danielle Donehew said in a statement. “She is most deserving of this distinguished honor. The WBCA applauds Ella for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game during the 2023-24 season.”

Collier was an Indiana All-Star at Danville in 2020 and graduated as the school’s all-time leader in scoring, steals, shooting percentage and 3-point percentage.

Indiana Tech’s Erika Foy, a Mississinewa grad, was also received NAIA AllAmerican honors.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.