image via Allen Athletics
Courtesy of Cade Crenshaw, Sports Information Director, Allen University
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) announced Wednesday morning that Allen women’s basketball senior guard Taliah Wesley has been selected as the SIAC Player of the Year and to the All-SIAC First Team, as voted on by the league’s coaches and communicators. Wesley is the first Allen women’s basketball player to ever earn both honors.
Wesley saved her best college basketball season for her last. The senior guard averaged 17.8 points per game during the regular season to lead the SIAC. While starting all 26 games for Allen, Wesley also shot 44% from the field, which ranked second in the league, and 85.6% from the free-throw line, which ranked first in the SIAC. Wesley also ranked among the SIAC’s best in rebounding with the third highest average of 8.2 rebounds per game. Among her 213 rebounds this season, 40% of them came on the offensive glass with an average of 3.3 offensive rebounds per game. On the defensive end, Wesley led the SIAC with 2.8 steals per game.
“There is no one who is more deserving of being named Player of the Year than Taliah,” said head coach Olivia Gaines. “Her body of work and statistics speak for themselves, but it was her dedication and work ethic in practice and the day-to-day grind that earned her this award. As a staff we couldn’t be prouder of her. It’s unfortunate that I only got to coach her for one season, but Taliah is a player and person that you never forget.”
Wesley recorded eight double-doubles and scored in double-figures in 23 of Allen’s 26 games, including all 19 SIAC contests.
For her efforts during the 2024-2025 season, Wesley was named SIAC Player of the Week on four occasions, and was named HBCU National Player of the Week by BOXTOROW on February 24, 2025. With Wesley as their leading scorer, Allen led the SIAC with 71.0 points per game, and recorded their most wins (18) in a single season since transitioning to NCAA Division II and joining the SIAC in 2021.
