Pryor Named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist
Mar 19, 2026 | Women's Basketball
ROSEWELL, Ga – Texas A&M's Ny'Ceara Pryor was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Thursday.
Pryor was voted to the All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team for her efforts during the 2025-26 campaign. The senior leads the team with 16.1 points, 7.1 assists and 3.6 steals per game this season. Pryor was seventh in the country and led the SEC in steals per game, and her total steals during league play (54) paced the conference.
The Baltimore native was the third player in SEC history to have multiple steals in all 16 conference games and is the shortest player to ever be named to the league's All-Defensive Team at 5-3.
Pryor and the Aggies play tonight at Reed Arena in the first round of the WBIT versus McNeese at 7 p.m. All students may attend the game for free with their TAMU student ID at the North Entry, all other tickets can be purchased at 12thmanfoundation.com/tickets.
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists
Lauren Betts – UCLA
Kennedy Cambridge – Ohio State
Toby Fournier – Duke
Rori Harmon – Texas
Jordan Harrison – West Virginia
Hannah Hidalgo – Notre Dame
Raven Johnson – South Carolina
Ny'Ceara Pryor – Texas A&M
Clara Strack – Kentucky
Sarah Strong - UCONN
Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram/Threads and X by following @AggieWBB.
Pryor was voted to the All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team for her efforts during the 2025-26 campaign. The senior leads the team with 16.1 points, 7.1 assists and 3.6 steals per game this season. Pryor was seventh in the country and led the SEC in steals per game, and her total steals during league play (54) paced the conference.
The Baltimore native was the third player in SEC history to have multiple steals in all 16 conference games and is the shortest player to ever be named to the league's All-Defensive Team at 5-3.
Pryor and the Aggies play tonight at Reed Arena in the first round of the WBIT versus McNeese at 7 p.m. All students may attend the game for free with their TAMU student ID at the North Entry, all other tickets can be purchased at 12thmanfoundation.com/tickets.
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists
Lauren Betts – UCLA
Kennedy Cambridge – Ohio State
Toby Fournier – Duke
Rori Harmon – Texas
Jordan Harrison – West Virginia
Hannah Hidalgo – Notre Dame
Raven Johnson – South Carolina
Ny'Ceara Pryor – Texas A&M
Clara Strack – Kentucky
Sarah Strong - UCONN
Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram/Threads and X by following @AggieWBB.
Players Mentioned
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