UK’s WBB Makayla Epps an All-Region Nominee for All-America

Kentucky junior guard Makayla Epps continues to haul in accolades for the 2015-16 season, having just been named a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Region nominee for the 2016 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team. The selection committee will select the 10-member Coaches’ All-America Team from the 52 candidates representing five regions.
Epps is one of eight players represented in Region 2, which is heavily laden with Southeastern Conference players. The SEC has seven players on the All-Region team, including Jordan Freriks (Missouri), Victoria Vivians (Mississippi State), Courtney Walker (Texas A&M), and Alaina Coates, Tiffany Mitchell and A’ja Wilson (South Carolina).
The 2016 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team will be announced on Saturday, April 2, during NCAA Women’s Final Four Super Saturday festivities in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Epps has a lengthy list of honors this season, including becoming the fourth player in program history to earn multiple SEC All-Tournament Team honors and becoming only the third player in the Matthew Mitchell era to be named first-team All-SEC multiple seasons. Most recently, Epps was named a First Team All-American by CollegeSportsMadness.com and was also named to the 30-member Wade Trophy Watch List. A member of the Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Midseason 30 Watch List and Dawn Staley Award Midseason Watch List, she was the espnW National Player of the Week and SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 14 for her strong outings against Louisville and Middle Tennessee State.
On the season, Epps has played in 31 games, averaging a team-best 16.6 points per game, hitting .471 from the field, with 4.5 assists per game and 4.8 rebounds per game. Epps has scored 20+ points 10 times this season, while scoring in double digits 26 times. Earlier this season, Epps posted the second triple-double in program history with 21 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against Morehead State. During SEC play, Epps became the 31st member of Kentucky’s 1,000 point club and currently ranks 24th all-time in points scored with 1,140.
The star shone the most on the biggest of stages this season. During the regular season against highly-ranked Louisville, Duke, South Carolina (twice), Tennessee, Mississippi State and Texas A&M, Epps averaged 18.4 points per game, hitting .486 from the field with 29 assists and 33 rebounds. Those performances continued in the SEC Tournament as Epps led the team averaging 18.3 points per game with 5.3 rebounds per game, 12 assists and an impressive .553 clip from the field.
She has continued to pace the team in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 18.5 points per game to go with 4.5 assists per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. The junior has increased her output not only in points per game, but her efficiency from 3-point range has shot up to .444 compared to shooting at a .250 clip prior to the tournament. Additionally, with 516 points and 139 assists this year, Epps is the only player in school history to have at least 500 points and 100 assists in two consecutive seasons.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @UKHoopCats on Twitter and Instagram, or Kentucky Women’s Basketball on Facebook.