USBWA Iowa News

Week 3 of the current women’s basketball season through Sunday night, Nov. 26, was a Thanksgiving feast of tournaments, most with predetermined matches, across the nation and down in the Caribbean, once again providing dynamic performances, stunning upsets, and a wealth of candidates to fill the USBWA expansion to five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week honorees in addition to the singular Tamika Catchings freshman and team citations.

A new season is bringing a new and expanded look to the weekly women’s and men’s collegiate awards from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association in handing out five national Ann Meyers Drysdale weekly honors to the women and five Oscar Robertson honors on the men’s side. For their performances in the tumultuous week that ended Sunday, Nov. 12, the season’s first five Ann Meyers-Drysdale honorees are Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award winner as the national player of the year; South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso; NC State guard Saniya Rivers; Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen; and Marquette forward Liza Karlen. The Tamika Catchings freshman honor goes to USC guard JuJu Watkins, while Colorado is the National Team of the Week.

A three-time All-American and one of the most prolific scorers in the Big Ten and the nation, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark has lit up scoreboards and electrified crowds with her all-around play throughout the season. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year’s historic season that has led Iowa to its second Final Four has earned Clark being selected as the winner of the 2022-23 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the USBWA National Player of the Year.

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – A three-time All-American, three repeat members, last year’s Oscar Robertson Trophy winner and four players from the Big Ten are all members of the 2022-23 U.S. Basketball Writers Association's All-America Team. The 15-man team includes a member from each of the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seeds, seven players who were their conference players of the year, four players who were USBWA district players of the year, two of the country's top eight scorers and four of the top seven rebounders.

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 ninth weekly women’s awards from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, for games ending Sunday, Feb. 5, South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston, the reigning USBWA national player of the year, and Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, a past honoree, share the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week honor, Washington guard Elle Ladine is the Tamika Catchings Award freshman recipient, and UNLV is the team of the week.

Three repeat selections, three first-teamers from the Big Ten including its top scorer, a pair of teammates from top-ranked Gonzaga and the country’s leading rebounder headline the 2021-22 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Men's All-America Team. The 15-man team includes two of the country's top shooters, the third-leading scorer, seven players who were their conference players of the year and four players who were USBWA district players of the year.

Seven repeat selections including four from the first team and three three-time members headline the 2021-22 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women's All-America Team. There are 13 different schools represented on the 15-woman team with top-ranked and No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed South Carolina and Stanford each boasting two selections.