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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – For the season's
first U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's
National Player of the Week and the organization's women's freshman
player honor, Oregon has swept the awards with the selection of
sophomore guard Sabrina Ionescu as the national player while Ducks
forward Satou Sabally has been tabbed for the freshman citation
for games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 3.
The USBWA weekly honors for Division I women's players will be
handed out each Tuesday this season.
As the Pac-12 player and freshman weekly winners, both were nominated
for the awards, which were chosen by Mel Greenberg, the USBWA coordinator
for women's basketball from a pair of lists of Division I conference
players and freshmen of the week.
Ionescu, a 5-10 guard from Walnut Creek, Calif., who was the
USBWA National Freshman of the Year last season, averaged 17.0 points,
8.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists while shooting 13-25 for .520 from
the field in two wins over Hampton and Weber State. In the win over
Weber State, Ionescu tied the Oregon single-game assist record with
14 while scoring 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds. She already
has two triple doubles and four double doubles this season.
Sabally, a 6-4 forward from Berlin, Germany, averaged 20 points,
4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 13-24 for .542 from
the field in both of 10th-ranked Oregon's wins. She made her first
start in the Weber State game and the Ducks are now ranked No. 9,
tying their highest AP ranking in program history.
Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a women’s National
Player of the Year. For the 2012-13 season, 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 2018 Ann Meyers
Drysdale National Player of the Year will be announced and presented
at the USBWA’s annual awards event in Columbus, Ohio, site of the
2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
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.
2017-18 USBWA Women's National Players of the Week
• Week ending Dec. 3: Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (National); Satou Sabally, Oregon (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 10: Jaime Nared, Tennessee (National); Braxtin Miller, Oklahoma State (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 17: Kitija Laksa, South Florida (National); Raneem Elgedawy, Western Kentucky (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 24: Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (National); Kianni Smith, California (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 31: Megan Gustafson, Iowa (National); Eleah Parker, Penn (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 7: Lashann Higgs, Texas (National); Bre Cavanaugh, Fordham (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 14: Asia Durr, Lousiville (National); Hailey Brown, Michigan (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 21: Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame (National); Eleah Parker, Penn (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 28: Kaila Charles, Maryland (National); Anna Jones, Middle Tennessee (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 4: Brittany McPhee, Stanford (National); Ana Llanusa, Oklahoma (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 11: Kitija Laksa, South Florida (National); Destiny Pitts, Minnesota (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 18: Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn (National); Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, Georgia Mason (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 25: Aubree Brown, Drexel (National); Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M (Freshman)
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