UConn alums sweep WNBA awards once again

Former UConn stars Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart were named the Eastern and Western Conference's Player of the Week by the WNBA on Monday.

This marks the third time this year that UConn alums swept the weekly honors as Charles and Diana Taurasi were honored on June 4 and on July 16 it was Stefanie Dolson and Stewart receiving the awards.

Since the WNBA went from awarding one player of the week to giving out awards to players in each conference in 2007, this is the 18th time the honorees came from players who attended the same college.

On 14 of those occasions, it was a pair of former Huskies getting recognized led by the duo of Charles and Maya Moore who swept the awards five times. Charles and Taurasi were honored during the same week three times the only other time it happened twice came when former Tennessee stars Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker were so honored on May 27, 2012 and June 24, 2012 and when Charles and Stewart were honored on Sept. 11, 2016 and this week.

The first time it happened came on June 29, 2008 when Asjha Jones and Taurasi were the winners. Sue Bird and Jones were honored on July 26, 2009 (marking the only time players in the same recruiting class won the award the same week) Charles and Swin Cash won on July 5, 2011, former Rutgers stars Tammy Sutton-Brown and Cappie Pondexter were the recipients on July 5, 2009, LSU legends Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus swept the awards on Aug. 29, 2011.

Charles was selected Player of the Week for a record 26th time since joining the league in 2010. This is her fifth Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor this season.

Charles led all Eastern Conference players in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game, was tied for second in rebounding averaging 8 per game as New York topped the Eastern Conference leading Connecticut Sun and Western Conference leading Minnesota Lynx.

Stewart earned Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and third time in her two-year career. The 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year guided Seattle to a 3-0 week and its fourth win in as many games under interim coach Gary Kloppenburg.

Stewart ranked sixth among Western Conference players in scoring (17.7 ppg) and rebounds (9.7), was fourth in blocks (1.67), and tied for fifth in assists (4.0).