Feb. 27, 2018
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Another day, another finalist nomination for Notre Dame junior guard Arike Ogunbowale. On Tuesday morning, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced the five finalists for the 2018 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
The annual award in its inaugural year recognizes the top shooting guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. This year’s finalists include Ogunbowale, Katie Lou Samuelson (UConn), Asia Durr (Louisville), Victoria Vivans (Mississippi St.) and Kitija Laksa (South Florida).
Ogunbowale has not only led the No. 1 rated RPI conference in the ACC in scoring with her 20.3 points per game, but has done so against the No. 1 strength of schedule as well, now up to 19 games of 20-plus points on the year. Versus the 10-ranked opponents the Irish have faced this season, Ogunbowale’s scoring average hasn’t wavered, averaging 19.4 points on 42.1 percent shooting to go with her 5.1 rebounds.
In addition, Ogunbowale has played a pivotal role in the No. 5 Irish securing their fifth straight ACC regular season championship, and will look to set an ACC record this weekend when they seek their fifth straight regular season and tournament title sweep.
In March, the five finalists will be presented to Ms. Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans are encouraged to visit www.HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes March 2-23.
The winner of the 2018 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be announced during ESPN2’s telecast of the national semifinal games in the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, March 30. The award will then be presented to the student-athlete on Saturday, March 31 at a new awards reception presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame and the WBCA and held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.