TUCSON, Ariz. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame selected
Aari McDonald as one of 10 finalists for this year's Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which recognizes the top shooting guard in women's college basketball.
She was also named to the midseason team for the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year on Tuesday.
McDonald is coming off a weekend where she averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game in a split at the Oregon schools. She helped Arizona win their first road game vs. a top-10 team on Sunday in a 65-58 overtime win over then-ranked No. 9 Oregon State, leading all scorers with 22 points while chipping in nine rebounds and four steals.
On the season, McDonald is averaging 20.5 points. 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game, making her one of two players in the country to average 20 points and 2.7 steals per game. She leads the Pac-12 in scoring and steals per game.
The Fresno native has scored in double-figures in 60-straight games, which is the longest active streak in the nation and is also her entire Arizona career. The next closest players in the Pac-12 are Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu and Washington State's Borislava Hristova, who have scored in double-figures in 18-straight games.
She is a two-time Pac-12 Player of the Week and has been named the Naismith and ESPNw Player of the Week earlier this season as well.
McDonald is currently eighth all-time in Arizona history with 1,362 points and also owns the school record for points in a game when she scored 44 on the road at Texas back in November, becoming the first Wildcat to score 40 points in a game.
National Recognition for McDonald this season
Naismith Player of the Year Midseason Team (Feb. 11)
Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Top 10 Finalist (Feb. 11)
Dawn Staley Award Watch List (Feb. 7)
Naismith Player of the Week (Feb. 4)
2x Pac-12 Player of the Week (Nov. 18 & Feb. 3)
Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 (Feb. 3)
Naismith DPOY Midseason Team (Jan. 23)
Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List (Jan. 8)
Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List (Dec. 5)
Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA Player of the Week (Nov. 19)
ESPNw Player of the Week (Nov. 18)
Preseason Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List
Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 Watch List
Preseason Wade Trophy Watch List
2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates
| Aari McDonald |
Arizona |
| Chelsea Dungee |
Arkansas |
| Christyn Williams |
Connecticut |
| Haley Gorecki |
Duke |
| Kathleen Doyle |
Iowa |
| Dana Evans |
Louisville |
| Lindsey Pulliam |
Northwestern |
| Taylor Robertson |
Oklahoma |
| Kiana Williams |
Stanford |
| Chennedy Carter |
Texas A&M |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season
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