(Tucson, AZ) Aari McDonald was named one of the four finalists for the Wade Trophy on Thursday morning, as announced by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. She joins Dana Evans (Louisville), Tyasha Harris (South Carolina) and Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon) to complete the list of four finalists.
The prestigious award is presented by the WBCA each year to the best player in college women’s basketball. The WBCA will announce the winner of the 2020 Wade Trophy on April 2.
McDonald, who has been named an AP and USBWA second-team All-American as well as a Region Finalist for WBCA All-America, is also a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the Wooden Award.
The Fresno, Calif. is the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was named All-Pac-12 after leading the Pac-12 in scoring (20.6) and steals per game (2.3). She is the only player in conference history to lead the Pac-12 in scoring and steals twice.
She finished the season 10th in the country in scoring and has scored in double-figures in 66-straight games, the longest active streak in the nation which is also her entire Arizona career. She helped lead Arizona to 24 wins this season, which is tied for the second-most wins in school history while also leading the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish in the Pac-12, Arizona’s best finish since 2011.
McDonald finished off the season with a 34-point performance vs. Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals, which is the most points any player scored at this year’s tournament. It is also the second time in her career she scored 34 vs. the Ducks in the Pac-12 Tournament and is the school record for most points in a conference tournament game.
This season, McDonald was named National Player of the Week by both ESPNw and the WBCA and was also a two-time Pac-12 Player of the Week. She set the single-game school record with 44 points at Texas back in November, which is the fifth-most any player in the country scored in one game this season.
Career-wise, McDonald is sixth all-time in Arizona history with 1,486 total points in just two seasons as a Wildcat. Additionally, her 596 points this season is the fourth-most points any player has scored in one season in Arizona history. She also holds the record after scoring 890 last year, the most by any Arizona player on the men’s or women’s side. In her two years at Arizona, she averages 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game on 45% shooting.
Press Release courtesy of Arizona Communication Services – Adam Gonzalez
