The Katrina McClain Award is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball power forward in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after Hall of Famer Katrina McClain-Pittman, a two-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year with two Olympic gold, one Olympic bronze, and three FIBA World Championships medals. McClain was the WBCA National Player of the Year in her senior season at Georgia.[1]
| Katrina McClain Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | The best women's college basketball power forward in the United States |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame & Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) |
| First awarded | 2018 |
| Currently held by | Kiki Iriafen, Stanford |
| Website | Katrina McClain Award |
The Katrina McClain Award was first presented in 2018, when WBCA and the Naismith Hall, in collaboration with ESPN, incorporated the Nancy Lieberman Award, presented since 2000 to the top NCAA women's point guard, into a new set of awards known as the "Naismith Starting Five". All five awards are presented at the WBCA convention (except in 2020, when the convention was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic) to players at each of the five traditional basketball positions. These awards parallel a previously existing set of men's basketball positional awards also presented by the Hall. In addition to the Lieberman Award, the other three new awards are:[2]
Winner for each of the Starting Five awards is determined by a selection committee consisting of Hall of Famers, WBCA coaching members, and media, and headed by the award's namesake. Fan voting through the Hall's website is also incorporated into the selection process.
Key
edit| * | Awarded, in addition, a national Player of the Year award: the Naismith College Player of the Year, Wade Trophy or the John R. Wooden Award |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has received the Katrina McClain Award |
Winners
edit| Season | Player | School | Class | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Ruthy Hebard | Oregon | Sophomore | |
| 2018–19 | Napheesa Collier | UConn | Senior | [3] |
| 2019–20 | Ruthy Hebard (2) | Oregon | Senior | [4] |
| 2020–21 | NaLyssa Smith* | Baylor | Junior | [5] |
| 2021–22 | NaLyssa Smith (2) | Baylor | Senior | [6] |
| 2022–23 | Maddy Siegrist | Villanova | Senior | [7] |
| 2023–24 | Kiki Iriafen | Stanford | Junior | [8] |
Winners by school
edit| School | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Baylor | 2 | 2021, 2022 |
| Oregon | 2 | 2018, 2020 |
| UConn | 1 | 2019 |
| Villanova | 1 | 2023 |
| Stanford | 1 | 2024 |
See also
edit- Karl Malone Award – the counterpart to the McClain Award; given to the best men's NCAA power forward
References
edit- ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, WBCA Announce Four New Women's College Basketball Awards". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Naismith Starting 5". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, WBCA Name Winners of Five Women's College Basketball Awards". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, WBCA Name Winners of Five Women's College Basketball Awards". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Basketball Hall of Fame Reveals Winners of Women's Naismith Starting Five Awards" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ "Basketball Hall of Fame & Women's Basketball Coaches Association Announce Winners of Women's Naismith Starting Five Awards" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Reveals Winners of Men and Women's Naismith Starting Five Awards on ESPN's College GameDay" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "Iriafen, Brink Win Naismith Starting Five Awards". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-27.