Charlotte, NC - Fresh off lifting the 2019 NJCAA DII Women's Basketball national championship trophy with Kansas City Kansas, Nija Collier has another accolade to her name.
Collier was named the 2019 Spalding® DII Player of the Year on Thursday after leading the Blue Devils to 32-4 record and second national championship in program history. The sophomore forward led the team in scoring at a rate of 17.3 per game. Collier also finished with a national top-30 mark in every shooting percentage category.
"Nija is as good of a young person as I've ever coached," said Kansas City Kansas head coach Joe McKinstry. "She's a great teammate and she's obviously a huge part of our team success this season. She has worked extremely hard to become a more complete basketball player in her two years here, so I'm very proud of her for putting in the time and earning this award. Most of all, she's a team player who does not care about her statistics, her role, or what position she plays. She simply puts her best effort into everything she does."
Collier is still undecided as to her next stop after Kansas City Kansas.
Personal
- Position: Forward
- Class: Sophomore
- Hometown: Roseville, MI
- Major: Exercise Science
2018-19 Statistics
- 17.3 points per game
- 9.7 rebounds per game
- 58.5 field goal percentage
- 40.0 three-point percentage
- 78.3 free throw percentage
2018-19 Accomplishments
- NJCAA Region VI First Team All-Region
- NJCAA Region VI Player of the Year
- NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player
- NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Champion
- NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball First Team All-America
Collier's reaction:
"[Winning this award] means a lot to me to receive this honor. Especially when I think about the opportunity to play for this team and this program, and for us to have the success that we did this year; I couldn't be more happy and blessed."