MINNEAPOLIS – UCF senior Diamond Battles was named a Women's Basketball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-America selection, the organization announced on Thursday.
The Winter Haven, Florida, native was the most decorated player in the American Athletic Conference in 2022, being named The American Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of The American Championship. She was also a unanimous first team all-conference selection, earning the first all-conference honor of her career. Her All-America nod is also the first of her career.
Battles played a key role in UCF's historic season as she was the Knights' leading scorer at 13.9 points per game while also averaging 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per contest.
She entered the 2021-22 campaign without a 20-point performance on her resume but finished with six such games this season, including a career-best 25 points against Memphis on Feb. 5.
Battles became the first Knight to be named a conference Player of the Year since Chariya Davis garnered the accolade in 1999. She was also the first Defensive Player of the Year since Celeste Hudson was tabbed in 2005 and the first tournament MVP since Jelisa Caldwell earned the honor in 2011.
As the Defensive Player of the Year, Battles was a major factor in the top-ranked scoring defense in the country. UCF held its opponents to 50 points or fewer in 18 contests this season and allowed just 47.8 points per game on the year.
UCF finished its historic season with an overall mark of 26-4, tying the program record for wins in a season while setting a record for the fewest losses in a campaign. The Knights advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history while also earning a No. 7 seed, the highest for a UCF squad in the postseason.
