INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) For the season's ninth honorees for games ending Sunday, January 30, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week goes to Michigan forward Naz Hillmon, the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor goes to DePaul forward Aneesah Morrow, and the USBWA women's team citation goes to Drexel.
Hillmon, a 6-2 senior forward from Cleveland, Ohio, and past USBWA honoree, averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds, and shot 79 percent from the field to lead Michigan to wins against Purdue (79-66) and then-No. 22 Ohio State (77-58). Not only did the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year notch her second 30-point double-double of the season against the Boilermakers with 32 points and 12 rebounds, but she followed up that performance with 20 points and 12 boards in a road win over the Buckeyes earning her third weekly conference honor of the season.
Last week, she also became the Michigan career rebounding leader (935) in the win over Ohio State, while leading the Wolverines to their first season sweep of their arch-rival since the 2010-11 season. Though the week considered ended Sunday, she added 21 points and five rebounds in Michigan's 65-50 win over No. 5 Indiana on Monday and earlier in the day coach Kim Barnes Arico's team moved to its highest ever Associated Press ranking at No. 6.
Morrow, a 6-1 forward from Chicago, Ill., honored for the second time this season, averaged 24.7 points and 19.7 rebounds in a 2-1 week for DePaul, and she also destroyed the Big East single-game freshman (20) and standard (25) record for rebounds with 27 in the 85-65 win at Seton Hall on Sunday. Both previous league records dated back to the 1980s.
The nation's leading rebounder (13.4) tallied three double-doubles last week, including a 30-point, 14-rebound outing in a last-second loss to No. 10 UConn last Wednesday. The freshman became only the fourth player in history to tally 30 points and double-digit rebounds against the Huskies. The other three were Notre Dame's Jackie Young, Tennessee's Candace Parker, and Louisville's Angel McCoughtry. On Monday, she became the first Big East player to win three combo weekly player/freshman honors in the same season and, with her 10th conference frosh award, ties Villanova's Maddy Siegrist and former UConn great Maya Moore for most in Big East history.
Drexel (16-2) kept the nation's second longest win streak alive at 13, rallying from a 10-point deficit to win at Elon and then taking a double overtime triumph at William & Mary in which Keishana Washington scored 40 points and earned her second straight Colonial Athletic Association player of the week honor for the reigning conference champions.
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)