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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers
Association has selected Pennsylvania guard Keiera
Ray as its Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National
Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday,
Feb. 17. The USBWA's weekly honor has been handed out each Tuesday
this season. Ray is the season's final recipient
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| Ray |
As the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week, Ray was nominated for
the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA
board of directors from a list of Division I conference players
of the week.
Ray, a 5-9 freshman from Aurora, Ill., who was also named the
league's rookie of the week, averaged 25 points and 5.5 rebounds to help Penn to
its first league sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth since 2004 and first
at home in the fabled Palestra since 2001. Her 31 points in a
77-72 win over
Harvard – breaking a 17-game and nine-year losing streak to
the Crimson – were the most by a league player this season
and her 14 free throws in the game were the second most in school
history. She added 19 points in a 63-40 win over Dartmouth, the
most lopsised Penn win in series history. For the week, she
committed just five turnovers in 68 minutes while scoring 50
points in the two games played on consecutive nights.
Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a National Player
of the Year. At the Women's NCAA Final Four in Denver last April,
the organization announced going forward that the national and weekly
player award has been named for Hall of Famer and former UCLA All-American
Ann Meyers Drysdale. At the conclusion of the regular season, the
USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the
entire membership of the USBWA. The winner of the 2013 Ann Meyers
Drysdale National Player of the Year will be announced and presented
at the USBWA's annual awards breakfast in New Orleans, site
of the 2013 NCAA Women's Final Four.
Several other women's awards are also to be announced later this
season associated with more famous names in women's basketball history.
At last season's Women's Final Four it was also announced that former
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who was the female recipient of the
Most Courageous Award for her battle against early onset dementia,
Alzheimer type, would have that award named in her honor.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in
1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers.
With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential
organizations in college basketball. It has selected a women's
All-America team since the 1996-97 season. For more information
on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director
Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
2012-13 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week
• Week of Dec. 9: Maggie Lucas, Penn State (Big Ten Conference)
• Week of Dec. 16: Chucky Jeffery, Colorado (Pac-12 Conference)
• Week of Dec. 23: Kelsey Bone, Texas A&M (Southeastern Conference)
• Week of Dec. 30: Karisma Penn, Illinois (Big Ten Conference)
• Week of Jan. 6: Kayla McBride, Notre Dame (Big East Conference)
• Week of Jan. 13: Brittney Griner, Baylor (Big 12 Conference)
• Week of Jan. 20: Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut (Big East Conference)
• Week of Jan. 27: Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford (Pac-12 Conference)
• Week of Feb. 3: Khaalidah Miller, Georgia (Southeastern Conference)
• Week of Feb. 10: Kelia Shelton, Louisiana Tech (Western Athletic Conference)
• Week of Feb. 17: Keiera Ray, Pennsylvania (Ivy League)
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