photo illustration by Eddie GuyBrittney Griner will return to Baylor to help the Lady Bears defend their title.LOS ANGELES -- Baylor center Brittney Griner, who will return to the national champion Lady Bears for her senior season, was awarded the Honda Cup as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year on Saturday.
"I have learned [by being on a team] how to work with people," said Griner at the award ceremony which aired on ESPNU. "I have been blessed with great teammates and coaches and my family is behind me."Griner helped lead Baylor to the first 40-0 season in either the men's or women's college game. She also won the Wade Trophy, the Naismith Trophy, The Associated Press national player of the year honor and the WBCA defensive player of the year award.
"It was unreal," said Griner of the perfect season. "It didn't really hit us until we got back to the hotel -- we had won 40 games."
The Honda Sports Award is presented annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. As the Honda prize recipient for basketball, Griner became a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and Honda Cup.
The 6-foot-8 Griner, of Houston, averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and a nation-high 5.2 blocked shots per game this season. With 2,425 points and 599 blocks to her credit, she is the first NCAA player to score more than 2,000 points and block more than 500 shots and needs just 65 blocks to become the all-time blocks leader.
