Oklahoma basketball: Five Sooner women earn All-Big 12 postseason honors
By Chip Rouse
Madi Williams and four other Oklahoma basketball women have received 2022-23 All-Big 12 recognition.
Williams, who leads the Sooners in scoring this season, was named to the All-Big 12 First Team. It was the third year in a row that the OU senior has received first-team honors. In addition, Sooner senior teammates Taylor Robertson and Ana Llanusa were named to the All-Big 12 second team.
Two other Oklahoma players also received All-Big 12 recognition. Junior forward Skylar Vann was named Sixth Player of the Year, and center Beatrice Culliton was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Vann is the first player in Big 12 history to be named Sixth Player of the Year two years in a row.
The five Oklahoma honorees were the most of any team and the most by a Sooner team since 2018.
Williams becomes the sixth Oklahoma player to earn three first-team selections. The others are Aaryn Ellenberg, Courtney Paris, Danielle Robinson, Stacey Dales and Phylesha Whaley.
Williams was one of four unanimous selections to the Big 12 First Team. She is joined by Sarah Andrews of Baylor, Ashley Joens of Iowa State, Zakiyah Franklin and Taiyanna Jackson of Kansas, Gabby Gregory of Kansas State, Naoime Alnatas of Oklahoma State, DeYona Gaston and Rori Harmon of Texas, Bre’Amber Scott of Texas Tech and JJ Quinerly of West Virginia.
Williams, Joens, Jackson and Quinerly were unanimous first-team selections.
Iowa State’s Joens was named Player of the Year in the conference, Harmon of Texas was honored as Defensive Player of the Year, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs is Freshman of the Year, Shaylee Gonzales of Texas is Newcomer of the Year and Texas head coach Vic Shaefer is Coach of the Year in the conference.
The Big 12 regular-season co-champion Sooners are the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament this week and will face the winner of the opening-round game between Kansas and TCU in the second round on Friday.