ST. LOUIS (USBWA) For the season's 11th 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 guard Sabrina Ionescu is national player while Old Dominion guard/forward Ajah Wayne has been tabbed for the freshman citation after each was involved in helping their teams gain impressive victories in games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 10.
The USBWA weekly honors for Division I women's players will be handed out each Tuesday this season.
As the Pac-12 player and Conference USA freshman weekly winners, both were nominated for the awards, which were chosen by Mel Greenberg, the USBWA coordinator for women's basketball, primarily from a pair of lists of Division I conference players and freshmen players of the week.
Ionescu, a 5-10 junior guard from Walnut Creek, Calif., is a previous USBWA weekly winner this season as well as the USBWA 2017 national freshman honoree and the NCAA career holder over both men and women for triple-doubles. In a pair of wins for the No. 3 Ducks on the road at California and first-ever at then-No. 11 Stanford (88-48) since 1987 in 30 tries, she averaged 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists shooting 62.9 percent from the field (22-35), including 75 percent on three-pointers (6-8), and four steals. She leads the NCAA with 8.2 assists per game while Oregon's 12-0 Pac-12 record is its best ever start in conference action and its 16-game win streak is the longest in the nation.
Wayne, a 5-10 guard/forward from Birmingham, Ala., averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 4.0 assists in a split pair of results, one of which saw the Lady Monarchs, under second-year coach Nikki McCray-Penson, upset Middle Tennessee, the second-place team in the conference, as Wayne handled the Lady Raiders' top scorer A'Queen Hayes (16.2 ppg) holding her to six points and 1-for-9 shooting. The ODU newcomer has helped her team more than double the eight wins of a year ago with the current total of 17, as she averages 11.7 points and a team-leading 8.3 rebounds per game.
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 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year will be announced and presented at the USBWAs annual awards event in Tampa, site of the 2019 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.
2018-19 USBWA Women's Players of the Week
Week ending Dec. 2: Christyn Williams, UConn (National); Dorka Juh·sz, Ohio State (Freshman)
· Week ending Dec. 9: Jenna Allen, Michigan State (National); Taylor Sutton, Middle Tennessee (Freshman)
· Week ending Dec. 16: Alanna Smith, Stanford (National); Chrislyn Carr, Texas Tech (Freshman)
· Week ending Dec. 23: Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (National); Rhyne Howard, Kentucky (Freshman)
· Week ending Dec. 30: Dionna White, Georgetown (National); Nia Clouden, Michigan State (Freshman)
· Week ending Jan. 6: Phoebe Sterba, Penn (National); Sienna Durr, Columbia (Freshman)
· Week ending Jan. 13: Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse (National); Shakira Austin, Maryland (Freshman)
· Week ending Jan. 20: Shrita Parker, UNCW (National); Christianna Carr, Kansas State (Freshman)
· Week ending Jan. 27: Paris Kea, North Carolina (National); Elissa Cunana, N.C. State (Freshman)
· Week ending Feb. 3: Bella Alarie, Princeton (National); Ciaja Harbison, Saint Louis (Freshman)
· Week ending Feb. 10: Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (National); Ajah Wayne, Old Dominion (Freshman)
· Week ending Feb. 17: Megan Gustafson, Iowa (National); Madisen Smith, West Virginia (Freshman)
· Week ending Feb. 24: Kay Kay Wright, UCF (National); Jada McMillian, Charlotte (Freshman)
· Week ending March 3: Kristine Anigwe, California (National); Christianna Carr, Kansas State (Freshman)