Guirantes Garners AP All-America Honorable Mention
Credit Source: Rutgers University Athletics
Guirantes is the first repeat All-American from Rutgers since 2006
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women’s basketball redshirt senior Arella Guirantes has been named an AP All-America Honorable Mention, the Associated Press announced Wednesday.
Guirantes, now a two-time All-American after receiving Honorable Mention status in 2019-20, is the Scarlet Knights’ first repeat All-American since Cappie Pondexter’s four awards from 2003-06. Rutgers has now earned 11 All-America nods from the AP under head coach C. Vivian Stringer, including Pondexter’s First Team honor in 2006, two Third Team selections and eight Honorable Mentions. The 11 selections have been earned by eight different Scarlet Knights.
Thirty-five elite women’s basketball players from around the country are listed in the AP All-America awards – five each on the First, Second and Third Teams and 20 receiving Honorable Mention.
Guirantes, named First Team All-Big Ten and to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team this season, is also one of five national finalists for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, and is a top candidate for the Wade and Naismith Trophies for National Player of the Year and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. She was selected as a Top 10 finalist for the Senior CLASS Award bestowed for excellence in classroom, community, character and competition.
The Bellport, N.Y. native claimed an ESPN National Player of the Week honor, two Big Ten Player of the Week accolades and two Big Ten Honor Roll nods, while becoming just the third player in Rutgers history to record a triple-double in a game. She ranks 25th in the nation in scoring (20.6 points per game) with a trio of 30-plus-point performances against then-No. 14 Maryland, Iowa, who was receiving votes in the national polls, and at Purdue. Guirantes is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the Top 5 in each of the points, assists, steals and blocks per game categories.
Her 30-point double-double against Maryland was the first of its kind since Kahleah Copper’s in 2015. Guirantes has stuffed the stat sheet this season, averaging 6.0 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.1 spg and 1.9 bpg in 2020-21. She now has 1,646 career points, which is the 10th most of any player to wear the Scarlet Knight uniform.
After setting a new program record for free throws made in a season with 171 last year, she is challenging the school mark for free throw percentage for a single season. Guirantes is .892 on the year (91-102), just behind the program-best grade of .901 set by Tomora Young during the 1997-98 season.
The Bellport, New York native has done consistent damage against some of the nation’s top teams. She averaged 22.6 points per game in six contests against teams ranked in the NET Top 50.
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