ATLANTA (March 26, 2020) – Dana Evans of Louisville, Tyasha Harris of South Carolina, Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon and Aari McDonald of Arizona are the four finalists for the 2020 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.
Evans led Louisville in scoring with 18.0 points per game while connecting on a league-best 90 3-pointers. She also became the first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named ACC Player of the Year a year after receiving ACC Sixth Player of the Year honors.
Harris finished the current season as South Carolina’s leader in assists (5.7) and steals (1.6) for the third consecutive year. She was named the recipient of the 2020 Dawn Staley Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s best guard in NCAA Division I women’s basketball by the Phoenix Club of Philadelphia.
Ionescu, the 2019 Wade Trophy recipient, became the first player in women’s or men’s college basketball history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in her career. She earned Pac-12 Player of the Year honors and matched her single-season record eight triple-doubles.
McDonald has scored in double figures in 66-straight career games since coming to Arizona. She led the Pac-12 with 20.6 points and 2.3 steals per game and earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Pac-12 selection honors.
The WBCA will announce the winner of the 2020 Wade Trophy on April 2.
The Wade Trophy — now in its 43nd 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 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 Lieberman (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.
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