INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) — There are media veterans of women’s basketball coverage who could not envision a same day in which perennial Final Four aspirants Stanford, Tennessee and UConn would all get slammed the way each got handled this past Sunday, Dec. 3, the close out for candidacy for the latest USBWA women’s awards.
Yet for the first time since Dec. 29, 2004, that’s what occurred and when the result of this week’s Associated Press poll was released Monday at the stroke of noon, Tennessee was ejected, Stanford plunged from three to nine and UConn was ranked at a 30-year low at 17th, just one above its entry-level listing for its record AP appearance streak now extended to 569.
“Parity is truly here, and the fans love it,” said retired Notre Dame coach Muffett McGraw.
It may sound like a broken record but the players and teams causing all this to happen continue to provide dynamic performances, stunning upsets, and a wealth of candidates to fill the USBWA expansion to five Ann Meyers Drysdale national player honorees in addition to the singular Tamika Catchings freshman and team citations.
The USBWA women’s awards, organized under Mel Greenberg, the USBWA Vice President for women’s basketball, are drawn from weekly conference honors as well as at-large additions.
For their performances in the past seven days, this week’s five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week honorees are South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, Gonzaga forward Yvonne Ejim, Texas guard Rori Harmon, Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon, and Maine guard Anne Simon.
The Tamika Catchings Freshman Playr of the Week is Texas forward Madison Booker, while Southern Miss is the National Team of the Week.
Cardoso, a 6-7 senior center from Montes Claros, Brazil, and a previous USBWA honoree, helped keep the top-ranked Gamecocks from being overthrown on a two-game swing in the Research Triangle, rallying over No. 24 North Carolina as part of the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge and then winning at Duke on Sunday, one of three televised games as part of the Jimmy V Women’s Classic. In the two contests, Cardoso combined for 21 points for a 10.5 average, and 30 rebounds for a 15.0 mark on the boards, getting a double-double against the Blue Devils with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Ejim, a 6-1 senior forward from Calgary, Alberta, and a first-time USBWA honoree, in two games averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds, first helping the Zags with 23 points and 10 rebounds in a narrow 82-80 win at Eastern Washington, and then Sunday brought then-No. 3 Stanford’s perfect record to a dead stop, 96-78, shooting 11-of-16 for 68.8 percent from the field for 27 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. Gonzaga is on a 24-game home win streak and her season averages are 20.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg while shooting 66.9 percent from the field. The Stanford win was the highest ranked win ever for the Zags and sent them back into the poll for the first time this season at 23rd. She repeated her previous West Coast Conference player award on Monday.
Harmon, a 5-6 junior guard from Houston, Texas, and a past USBWA honoree, averaged 18.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg with 13.0 assists in two games starting the week in Texas' win over Oral Roberts with 10 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists. That followed with a Jimmy V Women’s Classic hosting then-No. 11 UConn in their 10th meeting. Harmon had 27 points and 13 assists as the Longhorns joined several other teams recently getting first-ever wins over the Huskies.
McMahon, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Centerville, Ohio, and a past USBWA honoree, in the third Jimmy V Women’s Classic of the day made it a two-season home-and-home sweep of the Lady Vols by the Buckeyes scoring 19 points, shooting 6-for-16 from the field and a perfect connection on all six shots from the line. The result got Tennessee booted from the new AP Poll while Ohio State moved up from 16th to 12th.
Simon, a 5-9 graduate guard from Sandweiler, Luxemborg, and a first-ever USBWA honoree, had a terrific week with the Black Bears to earn America East Player of the Week honors. Playing then-No. 17 Indiana tough all night at home in Portland, the Hoosiers gave Mackenzie Holmes a homecoming while the Maine star scored 34 points off 12-for-24 from the field, including three from deep, and 11 rebounds in the upset bid that came up short, 67-59. She followed up Saturday in a 74-62 win at Fordham blazing from the field on a 9-for-12 effort, including 4-of-6 on three-pointers, for 27 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
Booker, a 6-1 freshman forward from Ridgeland, Miss., and a first time USBWA honoree, made it a two-woman show for Texas in the wins over Oral Roberts and UConn, scoring 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting against Oral Roberts, followed by 20 points on 9-for-21 shooting and a shot from deep against the Huskies with three rebounds and four assists. The work of Harmon and Booker earned them a sweep Monday of the weekly Big 12 awards. The Longhorns' 9-0 start is their best since the 2015-16 season.
Southern Miss, at 7-0 its best start since 2003-04, upset then-No. 19 Ole Miss, 61-59, at home in Hattiesburg for the first win against a ranked foe since the 1999-2000 season. Senior guard Domonique Davis scored 25 against the Rebels, who dropped out of this week’s poll, one of four from the SEC to depart. It's a great start for a Lady Eagles program that hasn't appeared in the NCAA tourney since 1996.
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 the national and weekly freshman award is being given in the name of former Tennessee all-American Tamika Catchings, which was applied at the start of the 2019-20 season.
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 2024 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 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four in Cleveland.
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.
2023-24 USBWA Women's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 12: Caitlin Clark, Iowa; Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina; Saniya Rivers, NC State; Kiki Iriafen, Stanford; Liza Karlen, Marquette (National); JuJu Watkins, Southern Cal (Freshman); Colorado (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 19: Cameron Brink, Stanford; Taylor Jones, Texas; Ayoka Lee, Kansas State; Lucy Olsen, Villanova; Harmoni Turner, Harvard (National); Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame (Freshman); Baylor (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 26: River Baldwin, NC State; Caitlin Clark, Iowa; Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Aneesah Morrow, LSU; KiKi Rice, UCLA (National); Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy (Freshman); Princeton (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 3: Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina; Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga; Rori Harmon, Texas; Cottie McMahon, Ohio State; Anne Simon, Maine (National); Madison Booker, Texas (Freshman); Southern Miss (Team).