ST. LOUIS (USBWA) For the season's fifth U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week and the organization's women's freshman player honor, Georgetown guard Dionna White is national player while Michigan State guard Nia Clouden has been tabbed for the freshman citation after each was involved in helping their teams go unbeaten in games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 30.
The USBWA weekly honors for Division I women's players will be handed out each Tuesday this season.
As the Big East Conference player and Big Ten 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.
White, a 5-5 senior guard from Baltimore, played a key role in Georgetown's comeback from a 16-point deficit at home in Washington, D.C., to win their conference opener against Xavier, scoring 15 of her 24 points in the second half, including 15 in the third quarter while also overall grabbing 12 rebounds and four steals and dealing seven assists.
Clouden, a 5-8 guard from Owings Mills, Md., scored 27 points in 39 minutes as the then-No. 21 Spartans upset then-No. 16 Iowa in a Big Ten game at home in the conference opener for both teams in East Lansing. She shot 10-for-19 from the field for 52.6 percent and also connected on 6-for-9 free throw attempts while dealing five assists, and grabbing four rebounds and a pair of steals.
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)