Four players named to Wooden Award preseason top 30
Camara earns spot on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for sports figures
Another round of recognition came in Tuesday for four UConn women’s basketball players as Christyn Williams, Olivia NelsonOdoda, Evina Westbrook and Paige Bueckers were named to the Wooden Award preseason top 30.
UConn led all schools with four nominees, and Bueckers was the only freshman to make the list. The quartet had also previously made the preseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy.
The winner of the Wooden Award, given annually to the player of theyear, will bepresentedinApril following the NCAATournament.
The Huskies are currently in a modified 14-day quarantine after a member of the program tested positive for COVID-19 last week. They are set to begin their season Dec. 15 against Butler.
Camara honored
Batouly Camara, a redshirt senior on last season’s Huskies team, was one of 30 sports figures named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, alongside the likes of WNBA athletes A’ja Wilson and Chiney Ogwumike, NFL players Brandon Copeland and DeAndre Hopkins, and reporters Malika Andrews and Shams Charania.
Camara, 24, founded a nonprofit called “Women and Kids Empowerment” (W.A.K.E) that empowers women and girls through sports and is working on starting an all-girls boarding school in Guinea. She also recently published a children’s book, “A Basketball Game on Wake Street,” and was honored at the ESPYs as a winner of the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award.
After spending four years in Storrs (including her redshirt season), Camara has started her professional basketball career in
Spain with CB Bembibre.
Espinoza-Hunter to transfer to Seton Hall
Former UConn guard Andra Espinoza-Hunter will finish her collegiate career as a graduate transfer at Seton Hall, she announced this past weekend.
Espinoza-Hunter, who began her career at UConn, spent the last two seasons at Mississippi State, where she most recently averaged 4.6 points in 12.2 minutes as a junior for the Bulldogs.
As she opted out of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 concerns, the 5-11 guard will take the floor with SetonHall,whereshewillfaceUConn inBigEastplay,forthe2021-22season.