INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – When it came to choosing the newest recipients for the five USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale national players of the week, the Tamika Catchings freshman award and the team of the week, many outstanding performances continued to occur, some with special achievements. Moreso considering there were a slimmer number of games on a shortened schedule as the NCAA Division l women concluded action on December 22 to head into the Christmas break.
For many, the bulk of non-league play is over as the race to March Madness gets under way with conference action beginning this weekend.
The USBWA women’s awards, organized under Mel Greenberg, the USBWA Vice President for women’s basketball, are drawn from weekly conference honors as well as at-large additions.
For their performances through December 24, this week’s five Ann Meyers Drysdale honorees are College of Charleston guard Alexis Andrews, Saint Joseph’s forward Talya Brugler, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, USC guard/forward McKenzie Forbes, and Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon.
For the second time this season, the Tamika Catchings freshman award goes to Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, while TCU is the National Team of the Week.
Andrews, a 5-8 sophomore guard from Montgomery, Ala., averaged 23.5 points and six rebounds in two Charleston wins. In the 84-64 home triumph over South Carolina State she set three career highs, scoring 32 points, sinking nine three-pointers among 10 field goals made. Later in the week in a 74-50 home win over Radford, she had 15 points, four rebounds and three steals. She is currently second on the Cougars in scoring with a 15.4 average. The Coastal Athletic Association named her its Player of the Week on Tuesday.
Brugler, a 6-1 junior forward from Nazareth, Pa., and a past Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year as well as a 2023 all-conference and all Big 5 first team selectee, helped Saint Joseph’s win its own Hawk Classic for the first time since 2018. Saint Joseph's completed non-conference play at 11-1, its best start for Cindy Griffin in 23 seasons coaching at her alma mater. In averaging 19.5 points across the two games, Brugler was named tournament MVP. In the opener against New Hampshire she scored 24 points, including her 1,000th career point, and in the title game against UAB scored 15 points and matched a career-high six assists. She was named both Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Week.
Clark, a 6-0 senior guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, reigning USBWA National Player of the Year and the nation’s leading scorer (30.5), picks up her third honor this season and has been busting USBWA records for weekly awards dating back to her freshman season with the No. 4 Hawkeyes (12-1). In a 98-69 home win over Loyola Chicago she collected her 13th career triple-double, her second this season, with a notable 35 points, a personal-best 17 rebounds and 10 assists. She has 43 career 30-plus point performances, tops for men and women over the last 25 seasons, and she and former Oregon All-American Sabrina Ionescu, now with the WNBA New York Liberty, are the only duo in the women’s collegiate game’s history with a triple double in four consecutive seasons. There are seven triple doubles on the women’s side with at least 35 points and she now has three of them. Last week she tallied only the second triple double with at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, joining LSU’S Cornelia Gayden (1995). She is now seventh on the NCAA all-time scoring list with 3,114 points, nearing ever closer to the leader Kelsey Plum (3,527) at Washington (2013-17).
Forbes, a 6-0 graduate guard-forward and Harvard transfer from Folsom, Calif., averaged 26.5 points in a pair of wins with No. 6 USC, scoring 17 in a 93-44 win over Fullerton at home, followed by a career-high 36 points in an 85-77 win at Long Beach State. She is averaging 12.9 points to list third on a team led by freshman sensation JuJu Watkins. Forbes is one of three All-Ivy stars who transferred to USC, the other two being Kayla Padilla (Penn) and Kaitlyn Davis (Columbia). The Trojans open Pac-12 action Saturday across town at No. 2 UCLA (11-0). On Tuesday she was named the Pac-12's Player of the Week.
Sheldon, a 5-10 graduate guard from Dublin, Ohio, averaged 30.5 points in two home games in Columbus, scoring 30 at the start of the week in a 77-71 loss to UCLA, followed by collecting 31 in the Buckeyes’ 84-55 win over Belmont. Sheldon shot 12-for-18 from the field, including 5-of-9 from deep in the win over Belmont. She leads the team with a 19.1 average and also has 27 steals. No. 17 OSU (10-2) begins Big Ten play at Michigan Saturday.
Hidalgo, a 5-6 freshman guard from Haddonfield, N.J., across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, earned her second honor with the No. 13 Irish (9-1) after an 84-47 home win, wrapping up non-conference play with her first triple-double scoring 26 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and 10 assists besides five steals. She now has three performances of 25-5-5-5, two more than anyone else in the nation. The only other Notre Dame freshman to have had a triple-double is Marina Mabrey. The 26 points are the most in a triple-double in program history. Her 23.8-average leads the team, as do her 60 steals and 17 three-pointers. This week she got both conference awards for the second time and has won five of the seven freshman awards. The Irish get into ACC play Sunday at Syracuse.
In taking over the TCU program, former Oregon assistant and Sacramento State head coach Mark Campbell has transformed the Horned Frogs to glory days, especially with the reunion transfer of former Ducks star Sedona Prince, who withdrew from the WNBA draft to continue with a fifth year in her home state. An 87-34 home win over Mount St. Mary's followed an earlier 96-56 win over visiting Omaha, bringing No. 23 TCU to a first-ever perfect record (13-0) in non-conference games and the longest win streak in program history – men or women – to start the season. The ranking, which came last week, was the first since 2020. Prince averaged 24 points and 16 rebounds in the two wins while dealing six assists and blocking two shots against Mount St. Mary's. On Tuesday she earned the weekly Big 12 award. The Horned Frogs begin Big 12 play Saturday hosting new member BYU.
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 the national and weekly freshman award is being given in the name of former Tennessee all-American Tamika Catchings, which was applied at the start of the 2019-20 season.
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 2024 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 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four in Cleveland.
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.
2023-24 USBWA Women's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 12: Caitlin Clark, Iowa; Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina; Saniya Rivers, NC State; Kiki Iriafen, Stanford; Liza Karlen, Marquette (National); JuJu Watkins, Southern Cal (Freshman); Colorado (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 19: Cameron Brink, Stanford; Taylor Jones, Texas; Ayoka Lee, Kansas State; Lucy Olsen, Villanova; Harmoni Turner, Harvard (National); Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame (Freshman); Baylor (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 26: River Baldwin, NC State; Caitlin Clark, Iowa; Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Aneesah Morrow, LSU; KiKi Rice, UCLA (National); Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy (Freshman); Princeton (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 3: Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina; Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga; Rori Harmon, Texas; Cottie McMahon, Ohio State; Anne Simon, Maine (National); Madison Booker, Texas (Freshman); Southern Miss (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 10: Lauren Betts, UCLA; Paige Bueckers, UConn; Jalynn Gregory, MTSU; Quinesha Lockett, Toledo; Alssa Pili, Utah (National); Zoe Brooks, NC State (Freshman); Washington (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 17: Azana Baines, Seton Hall; Breanna Campbell, Marshall; Jessika Carter, Mississippi State; Aubrey Griffin, UConn; Liz Karlen, Marquette (National) Mikaylah Williams, LSU (Freshman); VCU (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 24: Alexis Andrews, Charleston; Talya Brugler, Saint Joseph’s; Caitlin Clark, Iowa; McKenzie Forbes, Southern Cal; Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State (National); Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame (Freshman); TCU (Team).