Rice University Athletics
Ogwumike Named to 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List
10/22/2019 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Annual honor recognizes the top SG in women’s basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday that Rice University senior guard Erica Ogwumike is one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
Named after the first player, male or female, named to the All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual award in its third year recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"Annie Meyers was one of the most dominant players in the college game, surpassing records held by both men and women," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "As we evaluate the talent in the game today, it's only right we honor her and utilize her expertise. This year's list of candidates may be the strongest yet and selecting a winner will be no easy task. We invite the fans to cast their votes and weigh-in alongside our committee members."
Ogwumike was named the 2019-20 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year for a second straight season, while also earning a spot on the C-USA Preseason Team. Ogwumike is coming off a season in which she became the first Owl in program history to earn C-USA Player of the Year honors and was selected to the C-USA First Team for a second straight season. She was a catalyst on a Rice team that won a school record 28 games, won both the C-USA regular season and conference tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
The senior guard averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, the only player to rank in the top-10 in the league in each of those categories. Ogwumike led all of C-USA in double-doubles (18) and total rebounds (327) while ranking third in the league in both free throws made (136) and free throw percentage (84.5).
The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Asia Durr, Louisville (2019) and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
For more information on the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MeyersAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 25.
2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates*
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season
Season tickets are available for purchase on RiceOwls.com.
Named after the first player, male or female, named to the All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual award in its third year recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"Annie Meyers was one of the most dominant players in the college game, surpassing records held by both men and women," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "As we evaluate the talent in the game today, it's only right we honor her and utilize her expertise. This year's list of candidates may be the strongest yet and selecting a winner will be no easy task. We invite the fans to cast their votes and weigh-in alongside our committee members."
Ogwumike was named the 2019-20 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year for a second straight season, while also earning a spot on the C-USA Preseason Team. Ogwumike is coming off a season in which she became the first Owl in program history to earn C-USA Player of the Year honors and was selected to the C-USA First Team for a second straight season. She was a catalyst on a Rice team that won a school record 28 games, won both the C-USA regular season and conference tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
The senior guard averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, the only player to rank in the top-10 in the league in each of those categories. Ogwumike led all of C-USA in double-doubles (18) and total rebounds (327) while ranking third in the league in both free throws made (136) and free throw percentage (84.5).
The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Asia Durr, Louisville (2019) and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
For more information on the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MeyersAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 25.
2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates*
| Aari McDonald | Arizona |
| Chelsea Dungee | Arkansas |
| Juicy Landrum | Baylor |
| Christyn Williams | Connecticut |
| Lauren Loven | Denver |
| Becca Hittner | Drake |
| Haley Gorecki | Duke |
| Kathleen Doyle | Iowa |
| Taylor Mikesell | Maryland |
| Destiny Pitts | Minnesota |
| Aislinn Konig | NC State |
| Lindsey Pulliam | Northwestern |
| Taylor Robertson | Oklahoma |
| Minyon Moore | Oregon |
| Erica Ogwumike | Rice |
| Kiana Williams | Stanford |
| Stephanie Watts | USC |
| Jocelyn Willoughby | Virginia |
| Amber Melgoza | Washington |
| Tynice Martin | West Virginia |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season
Season tickets are available for purchase on RiceOwls.com.
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