University of Kentucky senior guard Maci Morris has been named one of five national finalists for the 2019 Ann Meyers-Drysdale Award which annually seeks to honor the nation’s top shooting guard.
Including Morris, the five finalists for the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are Katie Lou Samuelson (Connecticut), Asia Durr(Louisville), Arike Ogunbowale (Notre Dame) and Kiana Williams (Stanford). Last season, Victoria Vivians of Mississippi State was named the inaugural winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in October, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in February and now just five finalists. This month, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year 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 15-29.
The winner of the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be revealed during the WBCA Coaches’ All-America/Naismith Starting 5 Presentation on Thursday, April 4, at the Women’s Final Four in Tampa, Florida. Additional awards being presented and recognized at the award show 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. Also being awarded is the Wade Trophy, the sport’s oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award which is presented annually by the WBCA’s community of coaches to the best player in college women’s basketball.
Morris has received several awards already this season. Last week the guard was named an All-SEC Frist-Team performer by league coaches and All-SEC Second-Team honoree by the Associated Press. League coaches also tabbed Morris the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and she was one of 14 players tabbed to the SEC Community Service Team earlier this season.
Morris has been fantastic for the Wildcats this season averaging 14.9 points per game with 68 3s and a team-best 44.2 percent from long range. The guard has scored in double figures in 24 games, including eight games of 20 or more. Morris’ best game came at Tennessee where she played 31 minutes before fouling out and scored 27 points with four 3s, three rebounds and three steals. Those numbers rank high nationally as Morris sits first in the SEC and eighth nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage while her 2.3 3s per game ranks fifth in the league.
The native of Bell County, Ky., has left her mark on the UK program as one of the best to ever play for the Wildcats. Morris ranks sixth all-time in scoring with 1,655 points while her 245 career 3s made ranks second. The guard has connected on 40.9 percent of her 3-point attempts during her career, which ranks first in program history. In all, Morris has hit at least one 3 in 105 of 127 career games.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, or Kentucky Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
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For more information contact:
Evan Crane