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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR A'JA RIYADH WILSON FOR HER OUTSTANDING ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC CAREERS AT HEATHWOOD HALL EPISCOPAL SCHOOL, TO CONGRATULATE HER ON HER MANY AWARDS AND ACCOLADES, AND TO WISH HER WELL IN THE FUTURE ON AND OFF THE BASKETBALL COURT.
Whereas, the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina are pleased to learn of the many awards and accolades that A'ja Riyadh Wilson of Richland County has received for her athletic and academic careers at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School; and
Whereas, standing six-feet-four, A'ja Wilson is the number one overall college prospect in the country and was named the 2014 Naismith Trophy Girl's High School Player of the Year. She is the first girl basketball player in South Carolina to receive the prestigious award; and
Whereas, selected the Parade Magazine's 2014 Girls Basketball Player of the Year, A'ja Wilson will lead the 58th annual Parade All-American team. She also was named the 2014 High School Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the Gatorade South Carolina Girls Basketball Player of the Year; and
Whereas, on March 1, 2014, she led the Highlanders to their first state title since 1997, scoring a three-point shot at the buzzer to tie the game. The Highlanders siezed the momentum in the extra period to win the SCISA Class 3-A championship, defeating Northwood Academy by a score of 66-58 with A'ja Wilson contributing 37 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 blocks; and
Whereas, she finishes her career at Heathwood Hall with 2,943 points, 1,658 rebounds, 303 assists, 403 steals, and 512 blocks in 119 games, and she will play her final basketball game as a high school player on April 2, 2014, at Chicago's United Center, as one of the twenty-four high-school girls basketball stand-outs selected nationwide as a "McDonald's All American"; and
Whereas, A'ja has played on the varsity girls volleyball team and run track and field, breaking the school record in the 100-meter dash, and she was a gold medalist on the 2013 Team USA U19 Olympic basketball team in Lithuania, averaging 11 points and 8 rebounds per game; and
Whereas, A'ja Wilson's basketball coach, John O'Cain, praises her as "a better person than a basketball player", and her friends describe her as happy-go-lucky and always smiling; and
Whereas, she was named a 2014 Young and Talented Urban League Scholar and serves on Heathwood's Peer Honor Council. She also sings in the school chorus, is active in her church, and has helped with preschool enrichment programs and summer basketball and volleyball camps at Heathwood Hall; and
Whereas, A'ja Wilson remains undecided where she will play collegiately but has narrowed her choices to Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. She plans to pursue a degree in psychology; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly appreciate the pride and recognition that A'ja Wilson has brought to her school and to the Palmetto State and congratulate her for her many accomplishments. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor A'ja Riyadh Wilson for her outstanding athletic and academic careers at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, congratulate her on her many awards and accolades, and wish her well in the future on and off the basketball court.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to A'ja Riyadh Wilson.
This web page was last updated on March 20, 2014 at 12:38 PM