Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens of the UCLA Bruins has been named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award Mid-Season Top 10, according to an announcement from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
Kneepkens is averaging 13.5 points per game with shooting percentages of .527 from the field, .471 from three-point range, and .958 from the free-throw line. She is one of only three players in Division I women’s basketball this season who are members of the 50/40/90 club while scoring more than 10 points per game. Among these players, she averages the fewest turnovers at 1.1 per game.
She is also among three active players with at least 300 career three-pointers made and has reached this milestone in fewer seasons than her peers.
Other candidates for the award include Taliah Scott (Baylor), Delaney Gibb (BYU), Tajianna Roberts (Louisville), Flau’jae Johnson (LSU), Syla Swords (Michigan), Rachel Ullstrom (Richmond), Ta’Niya Latson (South Carolina), Azzi Fudd (UConn), and Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt).
Fan voting for both remaining rounds will begin on Friday, February 6, at hoophallawards.com. The fan vote will count as one committee vote during finalist selection.
In mid-March, the list will be narrowed to five finalists. Later that month, these finalists will be presented to West’s family, Meyers Drysdale, and Hall of Fame selection committees for a final decision. “The Selection Committees for the Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards are composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers,” according to organizers.
Winners for both awards will be announced along with other positional awards on a date yet to be determined. Additional honors include those for point guards, small forwards, power forwards, and centers in both men’s and women’s college basketball.
For further details about these awards or updates on candidates like Kneepkens visit hoophallawards.com or follow @hoophallu on social media platforms X and Instagram using #WestAward or #MeyersDrysdaleAward.
