DURHAM, N.C. – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) has selected 35 student-athletes for its 2019-20 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List with Duke graduate
Haley Gorecki and senior
Leaonna Odom listed. Members of the association's board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the National Player of the Year.
The 2019-20 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award winner will be presented at the 2020 NCAA Women's Final Four in New Orleans, along with the Tamika Catchings Award honoring the women's freshman player of the year. The winner will also be honored at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Mon., April 13, 2020.
Gorecki is having another standout season with the Blue Devils averaging 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals. She has collected three games with 20 or more points, while also notching a career-high 30 points versus Idaho State. Gorecki, who hails from Palatine, Ill., has registered two double-doubles on the year as well. In the ACC statistics, she ranks third in scoring, seventh in assists, sixth in free throw percentage (88.1), 11th in steals (1.77), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (37.5) and seventh in minutes played 34.56).
A product of Lompoc, Calif., Odom is coming off back-to-back contests of scoring 20 or more points, including a season-high 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds versus Penn. She owns averages of 15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals on the year. Odom currently ranks in the top 20 of the ACC stats in scoring (14th), field goal percentage (6th, 52.4) and steals (11th, 1.78). Â
The USBWA formally expanded its All-America team to 15 players in 2019 and many of the players on this watch list will contend for All-America honors. In addition, the USBWA continues to name an Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week each Tuesday.
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.
Duke will open ACC action Sunday, Dec. 8 as the Blue Devils host Boston College at 2 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium live on ACC Network Extra. Â
Following is the complete 2019-20 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List:
Pos. Player, School Ht. Yr. Hometown
G/F Bella Alarie, Princeton (6-4, Sr., Bethesda, Md.)
F Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (6-5, Fr., St. Thomas, USVI)
G Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M (5-7, Jr., Mansfield, Texas)
G Kaila Charles, Maryland (6-1, Sr., Glenn Dale, Md.)
F Lauren Cox, Baylor (6-4, Sr., Flower Mound, Texas)
G Crystal Dangerfield, UConn (5-5, Sr., Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
F Mariella Fasoula, Vanderbilt (6-5, R-Sr., Athens, Greece)
G
Haley Gorecki, Duke (6-0, Gr., Palatine, Ill.)
G Tyasha Harris, South Carolina (5-10, Sr., Noblesville, Ind.)
F Ruthie Hebard, Oregon (6-4, Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska)
F Joyner Holmes, Texas (6-3, Sr., Cedar Hill, Texas)
G Rhyne Howard, Kentucky (6-2, So., Cleveland, Tenn.)
G Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (5-11, Sr., Walnut Creek, Calif.)
G Stella Johnson, Rider (5-10, Sr., Denville, N.J.)
G Tynice Martin, West Virginia (5-11, R-Sr., Atlanta, Ga.)
G Taylor Mikesell, Maryland (5-11, So., Massillon, Ohio)
G Aari McDonald, Arizona (5-6, Jr., Fresno, Calif.)
F Beatrice Mompremier, Miami (6-4, R-Sr, Miami, Fla.)
F Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn (6-5, So., Winder, Ga.)
F Leona Odum, Duke (6-2, Sr., Lompoc, Calif.)
G Erica Ogwumike, Rice (5-9, Sr., Cypress, Texas)
F Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA (6-0, Jr., Aurora, Colo.)
G Ali Patberg, Indiana (5-11, R-Jr., Columbus, Ind.)
G/F Destiny Pitts, Minnesota (5-10, Jr., Detroit, Mich.)
G Mikayla Pivec, Oregon State (5-10, Sr., Lynnwood, Wash.)
F Satou Sabally, Oregon (6-4, Jr., Berlin, Germany)
F Shadeen Samuels, Seton Hall (6-0, Sr., Ossining, N.Y.)
G Destiny Slocum, Oregon State (5-7, R-Jr., Meridian, Idaho)
G Kamiah Smalls, James Madison (5-10, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa.)
F Chante Stonewall, DePaul (6-1, Sr., Normal, Ill.)
F Megan Walker, UConn (6-1, Jr., Chesterfield, Va.)
G Chrystyn Williams, UConn (5-11, So., Little Rock, Ark.)
G Kiana Williams, Stanford (5-8, Jr., San Antonio, Texas)
G/F Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia (6-0, Sr., East Orange, N.J.)
G Kay Kay Wright, UCF (5-7, Sr., Orlando, Fla.)
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