Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
The Associated Press has announced its annual college basketball player and coach of the year awards.
Caitlin Clark of Iowa won the AP Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season while South Carolina's Dawn Staley was honored for the second time as the AP Coach of the Year.
On the men's side, Purdue big man Zach Edey joined Clark as a back-to-back winner for player of the year. The coaching honor went to Kelvin Sampson of Houston, who won for the second time and 29 years after his first.
The men's panel is made up of 62 media members who regularly cover college basketball and vote in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll. The women's panel consists of 35 media members. The voting panel includes local beat writers at newspapers and broadcast outlets, along with national media.
Voting is done at the conclusion of the regular season and before the NCAA Tournament starts. Voting is based on regular season performance, so a poor showing in March Madness has no bearing.
AP staff members invite journalists who are AP members to be a part of the poll. Voters are approved by AP editors.
The AP men's player of the year was first awarded in 1961 to Ohio State's Jerry Lucas, who made it a repeat the following season. UConn's Rebecca Lobo won the inaugural women's AP player of the year award in 1995.
UCLA's John Wooden won the first AP coach of the year award in 1967 and went on to earn it four more times. UConn's Geno Auriemma won the first women's coach of the year award in 1995 and has won it eight more times.
Virginia's Ralph Sampson is the only three-time winner of the men's players of the year and Breanna Stewart of UConn is the only three-time winner among women.
After Wooden, Indiana's Bob Knight is second among men's coaches with three awards. Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw is second behind Auriemma with four.
___
AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
