USBWA Notre Dame News

Many familiar faces are featured on the 2024-25 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Women's All-America Team, with 11 of 15 players on the three teams having earned previous All-America honors from the USBWA.

For the period through Sunday, Feb. 2, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore; Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo; Iowa guard Lucy Olsen; Columbia guard Riley Weiss; UNCW forward Ali Zelaya. The Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week is Vanderbilt guard Makayla Blakes and and the National Team of the Week is North Carolina.

For the period through Sunday, Jan. 12, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Navy guard Zanai Barnett-Gay; Oklahoma State guard Stailee Heard; Notre Dame forward Liatu King; South Dakota guard Grace Larkins; USC guard JuJu Watkins; the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week is Quinnipiac guard Gal Raviv; and the National Team of the Week is South Carolina.

For the period through Sunday, Dec. 29, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Georgia Tech guard Kara Dunn; Washington guard Elle Ladine; Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles; Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle; USC guard JuJu Watkins (National); Tori McKinney, Minnesota (Freshman) and Norfolk State (Team).

For the period through Sunday, Dec. 15, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, Kansas guard S’Mya Nichols, Vanderbilt forward Khamil Pierre, California forward Marta Suarez, and Wisconsin forward Serah Williams. The Tamika Catchings freshman of the week is Rutgers guard Kiyomi McMiller, and the National Team of the Week is Georgia Tech.

For the period through Sunday, Dec. 8, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, Temple guard Tiarra East, Colorado State forward Emma Ronsiek, USC guard JuJu Watkins, and LSU guard Mikaylah Williams. The Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week is Penn guard Sarah Miller, and for the first time there are two National Teams of the Week, both out of the Southeastern Conference in defending NCAA champion South Carolina and the program returning to prominence in Tennessee.

For the period through Sunday, Nov. 24, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, Creighton guard Lauren Jensen, Northern Iowa guard Maya McDermott, Virginia Tech forward Rose Micheaux, and Connecticut guard Sarah Strong. The Tamika Catchings freshman of the week is Duke forward Toby Fournier and the team of the week is UCLA.

For the period through Sunday, Nov. 17, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers, Miami guard Haley Cavinder, Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper, UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins, and Harvard guard Harmoni Turner. The Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week is Notre Dame forward Kate Koval and TCU is the National Team of the Week.

The return of collegiate basketball means the return of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association handing out its women’s five-member Ann Meyers Drysdale national players of the week, its Tamika Catchings freshman award, and noting its National Team of the Week. For the period through Sunday, Nov. 10, the first five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the season are Rutgers guard/forward Destiny Adams, Oklahoma center Raegan Beers, UCLA center Lauren Betts, Norfolk State guard Diamond Johnson, and Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles. The initial Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week is Michigan guard Syla Swords and Oregon is the USBWA National Team of the Week.

Last season’s Oscar Robertson Trophy winner and the nation's leading scorer, three repeat selections, a pair of North Carolina teammates and four SEC stars headline the 2023-24 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Men's All-America Team. The 15-man team includes a player from each of the NCAA Tournament’s four No. 1 seeds and six players who were their conference players of the year.

A pair of Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Year headline the 2023-24 USBWA Women's All-America Team. Iowa's Caitlin Clark, now a four-time All-American, and UConn's Paige Bueckers, earning her second honor, join LSU's three-time selection Angel Reese to bolster a power-packed six-woman first team. In all, 16 players were honored among three teams, in addition to five honorable mention selections.

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – For their performances in the period through Sunday, Jan. 28, this week's five Ann Meyers Drysdale national honorees are Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year; South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso; Penn State guard Makenna Marisa; West Virginia guard JJ Quinerly; and Oklahoma forward Skylar Vann. The Tamika Catchings freshman award goes to Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo and the National Team of the Week is Oregon State.

When it came to choosing the newest recipients for the five USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale national players of the week, the Tamika Catchings freshman award and the team of the week, many outstanding performances continued to occur, some with special achievements. Moreso considering there were a slimmer number of games on a shortened schedule as the NCAA Division l women concluded action on December 22 to head into the Christmas break. For their performances through December 24, this week’s five Ann Meyers Drysdale honorees are College of Charleston guard Alexis Andrews, Saint Joseph’s forward Talya Brugler, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, USC guard/forward McKenzie Forbes and Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon.

For their performances in the past seven days, this week’s five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week honorees are Stanford forward Cameron Brink, Texas forward Taylor Jones, Kansas State center Ayoka Lee, Villanova guard Lucy Olsen, and Harvard guard Harmoni Turner. The Tamika Catchings freshman award goes to Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo while Baylor is the team of the week.

Eight returning All-Americans including the nation’s leading scorer and assists leaders and six conference players of the year headline the 2022-23 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women's All-America Team. There are 13 different schools represented on the 15-player team that for the second consecutive season has top-ranked and overall No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed South Carolina and Stanford each earning claiming two selections.

For the season’s 12th and final weekly women’s awards from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, for games ending Sunday, Feb. 26, South Carolina guard Zia Cooke is the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week, Notre Dame guard KK Bransford is the Tamika Catchings freshman recipient, and Iowa is the National Team of the Week.

For the season's 16th and final U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week and the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor for this season, Tennessee guard-forward Rennia Davis is national player while Notre Dame forward Sam Brunelle has been chosen for the freshman citation after each helped their teams go unbeaten ending the week of Sunday, March 1.

Muffet McGraw, in what was supposed to be a bit of a rebuilding year at Notre Dame, ended up guiding the Irish on an unbeaten run through their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference straight to another trip to the Women's Final Four. Sophomore Breanna Stewart followed a sensational finish in Connecticut's 2013 championship to become the dominant Huskies star on an equal run of perfection to Nashville.

Notre Dame's Mike Brey, the Big East Conference Coach of the Year, is the 2011 recipient of the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough headlines the 2008-09 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's All-America Team. The 6-9 senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., has earned a spot on the first team for the third straight season. Hansbrough is the first three-time USBWA first-team All-American since 1985 when a trio of players – Patrick Ewing, Keith Lee and Wayman Tisdale – were first-teamers from 1983-85. He is among the five first-team selections.