INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – For the season's fourth weekly honorees for games ending Sunday, Dec. 26, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week goes to South Carolina senior guard Destanni Henderson, the organization's Tamika Catchings Women's Freshman Player honor goes to Texas guard Rori Harmon and the USBWA women’s national team of the week citation goes to South Carolina for performances in the voting period.

Henderson

Harmon

Henderson, a 5-7 junior guard from Fort Myers, Fla., the SEC Player of the Week returned from a three-game absence caused by a left leg injury and in 31 minutes led the top-ranked Gamecocks to the largest comeback in program history, rallying from an 18-point deficit in the first half to defeat Stanford in the season’s second 1-2 showdown, 65-61. In the third quarter when South Carolina outscored the defending NCAA champions 22-7 to go in front, she nabbed four of her career-high seven steals and dished four of her seven assists. In the next period she scored seven of her 17 points regaining the lead each time the Cardinal went ahead. Overall she committed just two turnovers in her 31 minutes of action.

Harmon, a 5-6 guard from Houston, shot 6-of-8 from the field on the way to 15 points in the No. 12 Texas 70-53 win at Ivy League favorite Princeton. Grabbing seven rebounds, dishing a pair of assists, and swiping three steals was, enough to also earn the Big 12 weekly freshman honor. She also is second in the conference and NCAA among freshman with a 5.1 assists per game average.

In what was a reduced national schedule heading into the holiday break, South Carolina, coached by last summer’s gold-medal winning USA mentor Dawn Staley, is easily the team of the week for mounting the rally and staying No. 1 with what is now six wins over Associated Press ranked teams, including three in the top five at the time of the meeting.

Each week awards go to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's national player, the organization's Tamika Catchings freshman player, and the USBWA's women's national team of the week. The pool of candidates is drawn from the weekly conference citations as well as at-large additions involving an expanded governing panel focusing on women’s basketball, headed by vice-president Mel Greenberg.

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 became named for Hall of Famer and former UCLA All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale while this is the first season the national and weekly freshman award is being given in the name of former Tennessee all-American Tamika Catchings.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for both individual awards, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA.

The winners of the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year and Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year will be announced and presented at the USBWA's annual awards event on site at the 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four in Minneapolis.

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 Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.

2021-22 USBWA Women's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Dec. 5: Teisha Hyman, Syracuse (National); Shayeann Day-Wilson, Duke (Freshman); Duke (Team)
• Week ending Dec. 12: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Georgia Tech (Team)
• Week ending Dec. 19: Haley Jones, Stanford (National); Laila Phelia, Michigan (Freshman); Michigan (Team)
• Week ending Dec. 26: Destanni Henderson, South Carolina (National); Rori Harmon, Texas (Freshman); South Carolina (Team)
• Week ending Jan. 2: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State (National); Kelbie Washington, Oklahoma (Freshman); Missouri (Team)
• Week ending Jan. 9: Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado (National); Alexis Markowski, Nebraska (Freshman); Colorado (Team)
• Week ending Jan. 16: Caitlin Clark, Iowa (National); Aaliyah Collins, Chicago State (Freshman); Oklahoma and Oregon (Team)
• Week ending Jan. 23: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State (National); Alberte Rimdal, Florida (Freshman); Ole Miss (Team)
• Week ending Jan. 30: Naz Hillmon, Michigan (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Drexel (Team)
• Week ending Feb. 6: Jasmine Dickey, Delaware (National); Azzi Fudd, UConn (Freshman); Michigan (Team)
• Week ending Feb. 13: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Villanova (Team)
• Week ending Feb. 20: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); North Carolina (Team)
• Week ending Feb. 27: Caitlin Clark, Iowa (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Stanford (Team)
• Week ending March 6: Dre'Una Edwards, Kentucky (National); Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton (Freshman); Kentucky (Team)

• All-time USBWA Women's National Weekly Honors (Since 2011-12)