The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team never had a first-team Associated Press All-American until sophomore Amanda Zahui B. received the honor Tuesday.

Zahui B., who averaged 18.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks this season for the Gophers (23-10), joined Baylor’s Nina Davis, Notre Dame’s Jewel Lloyd, South Carolina’s Tiffany Mitchell and Connecticut’s Breanna Stewart on the team.

The last Big Ten sophomore to be selected first-team AP All-American was Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport in 2005.

“It feels unreal still,” Zahui B. said Tuesday. “It hasn’t really set in yet. I’m so grateful. It’s crazy.”

The 6-foot-5 center from Sweden was the media’s Big Ten player of the year and is a finalist for the Naismith Award and Wade Trophy given to the college player of the year.

And she is setting her goals even higher now.

“I don’t think you can be satisfied until you’re the best,” she said. “And when you’re the best, you have to keep on working so no one can catch you. There’s so much I need to work on. I feel like I’m just getting started now. I can’t settle. It’s a blessing and super exciting, but I can’t let it get to my head.”

All of these accolades have come quickly for Zahui B., who entered the season just hoping to help take pressure off senior All-America guard Rachel Banham.

Zahui B. averaged more than 21 points and 15 rebounds in the 23 games after Banham was sidelined with a torn knee ligament in December.

First-year Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings was able to still reach the program’s first NCAA tournament since 2009 with her star post player leading the way.

Stollings and Zahui B. had a meeting recently about what she could work on in the offseason to become in more dominant. They talked about her center of gravity and balance. Also, the coaching staff wants her to be able read defenses and be an even bigger three-point shooting threat.

“What we want her to do is become unguardable, no matter what they throw at her,” Stollings said. “We want her to have multiple moves and be able to use her body in a much more efficient way at the basket. I think she also has the potential to advance her outside game, even though we gave her the green light this year.”

Zahui B. says expectations should be so much higher for this program than to go one-and-done in the NCAA tournament. She was motivated after watching Maryland reach the Final Four. The Gopher lost just 77-73 to the Terrapins at home on Jan. 11.

“When I saw (Maryland) yesterday, I was so excited for them winning,” she said. “But I also got mad because we could be there. It was definitely motivating. It’s a great way of getting better, watching the best players and best teams. I can see what I could’ve done differently.”

The Gophers could have an updated version of Janel McCarville and Lindsay Whalen next season. McCarville was a first-team All-American (Kodak) for the Gophers in 2004 and 2005. Whalen, who teamed with McCarville to get the Gophers to the Final Four in 2004, was a Kodak first-team All-American in 2003 and 2004.

Banham, the preseason Big Ten player of the year last fall, will return for a fifth year after receiving a medical redshirt.

Zahui B., who also earned a spot on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-America team Tuesday, is on pace to break nearly all of McCarville’s career records. She broke McCarville’s single-season blocks record with 135 this season and became the Gophers’ career leader with 240 blocks in just two seasons.

BRIEFLY

Stollings said Banham’s recovery progress since knee surgery is ahead of schedule. She is expected to start running on her own in approximately three weeks.