On Sunday, March 29 at around noon, two-time All-American guard
Aari McDonald announced via Twitter and Instagram that she is foregoing the 2020 WNBA Draft and will play out her final year of eligibility during the 2020-21 season.
"This past season was one that I will truly cherish for the rest of my life. There were so many memories that I created with my teammates and I hope our fans enjoyed the ride as much as we did," McDonald said.
"We were devastated when we learned that all of our hard work would not be rewarded by representing Arizona in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years, knowing that we were going to make some magic happen in March."
She added, "With that being said, and after many long talks with my family and fiancé, I have made the decision to return next season.
"I'm already counting down the days until I can get back on the court with my teammates, and I can't wait to play one more season in front of the best fans in the country. Stay tuned, because the best is yet to come."
McDonald is coming off a season where she led the Pac-12 in points and steals per game for the second season in a row, becoming the first player in conference history to do so. She averaged 20.6 points per game and 2.3 steals per game, and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
She has also been named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and the NCBWA and was a finalist for the WBCA All-America Team. The Fresno native is a finalist for the Wade Trophy, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
McDonald will return to Arizona next season as the program's sixth-leading scorer of all time (1,486 points) and needs 752 points to break
Adia Barnes' all-time scoring record.
