ATLANTA (March 27, 2019) – Asia Durr of Louisville, Megan Gustafson of Iowa, Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon and Teaira McCowan of Mississippi State are the four finalists for the 2019 Wade Trophy, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. The prestigious award is presented by the WBCA each year to the best player in college women’s basketball.
The winner will be announced during the 2019 WBCA Convention on Thursday, April 4, in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Durr, named ACC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, averaged 21.4 points per game for the Cardinals. She is a first team espnW All-American and second in school history and sixth all-time in the ACC with 2,343 points.
Ionescu is the Pac-12 Player of the Year for the second year in a row and ranks in the top 25 in the nation in nine statistical categories. She is a first team espnW All-American and the NCAA Division I record-holder for career triple-doubles among both women and men.
Gustafson was chosen Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and by espnW as its national player of the year. She led the nation in scoring this season and is the Hawkeyes’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
McCowan is the SEC’s Player of the Year, SEC Tournament MVP and an espnW first team All-American. She averaged 13.5 rebounds per game this season and is the Bulldogs’ all-time leader in career field-goal percentage.
The Wade Trophy — now in its 42nd year — is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State was the first recipient of the Wade Trophy. Two-time winners include Nancy Leiberman (1979, 1980) of Old Dominion, Seimone Augustus (2005, 2006) of LSU, Brittney Griner (2012, 2013) of Baylor, and Breanna Stewart (2015, 2016) of Connecticut. Maya Moore (2009, 2010, 2011) of Connecticut is the only three-time recipient.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.