INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) For the season's seventh honorees for games ending Monday, Jan. 17, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week goes to Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor goes to Chicago State guard Aaliyah Collins, and the USBWA women's team citation goes to Oklahoma and Oregon.
Clark, a 6-0 sophomore guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, who was a USBWA multi-week honoree and the national co-freshman of the year winner last season, averaged 27.5 points, 9.5 assists and nine rebounds and shot 92.9 percent from the free-throw line in the Hawkeyes' wins over Purdue and Nebraska. She was 26-for-28 from the free-throw line and drew 22 fouls. Against Nebraska, she registered her fourth career triple-double and third the season, recording 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She added four steals and two blocks and shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line, while drawing 10 fouls of her 22 fouls for the week. On Monday, she was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, her third straight weekly conference honor.
Collins, a 5-7 guard from Snohomish, Wash., was a scoring machine in Chicago State's three games. She started the week recording her first collegiate double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds) as the Cougars notched a seven-point road win at Seattle U. She then followed that with 10 points against UT Rio Grande Valley, then a 21-point effort against Lamar. During her 57-point week, she recorded a 56.1 percent shooting effort. Collins also picked up her fourth Western Athletic Conference freshman of the week honor on Monday.
Oklahoma bolted from 23rd to 14th in the latest Associated Press poll Monday following a rally to upset then-No. 14 Baylor 83-77 at home in Norman, the first win over the Bears in seven seasons and first top 15 win since 2017. The Sooners then beat TCU 100-71 to take sole possession of second place in the Big 12 and the 100 points are the program's second most all-time in Big 12 play. Meanwhile, Oregon beat a pair of ranked teams both of whom reached the 2021 Final Four · at home in No. 7 Arizona and No. 9 UConn over a span of three days. Saturday, the Ducks edged Arizona in overtime, 68-66, then dispatched the Huskies, 72-59, on Monday.
Each week awards go to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's national player, the organization's Tamika Catchings freshman player, and the USBWA's women's national team of the week. The pool of candidates is drawn from the weekly conference citations as well as at-large additions involving an expanded governing panel focusing on women's basketball, headed by vice-president Mel Greenberg.
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 this is the first season the national and weekly freshman award is being given in the name of former Tennessee all-American Tamika Catchings.
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 2022 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 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four in Minneapolis.
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.
2021-22 USBWA Women's Weekly Honors
Week ending Dec. 5: Teisha Hyman, Syracuse (National); Shayeann Day-Wilson, Duke
(Freshman); Duke (Team)
· Week ending Dec.
12: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Georgia
Tech (Team)
· Week ending Dec. 19: Haley Jones,
Stanford (National); Laila Phelia, Michigan (Freshman); Michigan (Team)
·
Week ending Dec. 26: Destanni Henderson, South Carolina
(National); Rori Harmon, Texas (Freshman); South Carolina (Team)
·
Week ending Jan. 2: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State (National);
Kelbie Washington, Oklahoma (Freshman); Missouri (Team)
·
Week ending Jan. 9: Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado (National);
Alexis Markowski, Nebraska (Freshman); Colorado (Team)
·
Week ending Jan. 16: Caitlin Clark, Iowa (National);
Aaliyah Collins, Chicago State (Freshman); Oklahoma and Oregon (Team)
·
Week ending Jan. 23: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State (National);
Alberte Rimdal, Florida (Freshman); Ole Miss (Team)
·
Week ending Jan. 30: Naz Hillmon, Michigan (National);
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Drexel (Team)
·
Week ending Feb. 6: Jasmine Dickey, Delaware (National);
Azzi Fudd, UConn (Freshman); Michigan (Team)
·
Week ending Feb. 13: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova (National);
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Villanova (Team)
·
Week ending Feb. 20: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (National);
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); North Carolina (Team)
·
Week ending Feb. 27: Caitlin Clark, Iowa (National);
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Stanford (Team)
·
Week ending March 6: Dre'Una Edwards, Kentucky (National);
Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton (Freshman); Kentucky (Team)
All-time USBWA Women's
National Weekly Honors (Since 2011-12)