Springfield, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today the 20 watch list candidates for the 2022 Katrina McClain Award. For the second consecutive year, Notre Dame forward Sam Brunelle was recognized on the preseason national watch list.
Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its fifth year recognizes the top power forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Brunelle is poised for a breakout season. The 6-2 forward averaged 13.9 ppg as a freshman and was named to the 2020 ACC All-Freshman Team. Brunelle was riddled by a leg injury last season but still managed to average 8.7 ppg while raising her shooting percentages significantly.
She went from shooting 31.5 percent from three as a freshman to 38.3 percent. She also went from 39.7 percent overall to 48.4 percent.
Furthermore, over her last six games of the 2020-21 season, Brunelle really began to hit her stride, averaging 10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.0 apg during said stretch.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Ms. McClain and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Katrina McClain Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
For more information on the 2022 Katrina McClain Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com.
2022 Katrina McClain Award Candidates*
| NaLyssa Smith | Baylor |
| Lauren Gustin | BYU |
| Lorela Cubaj | Georgia Tech |
| Maddi Utti | Long Beach St. |
| Olivia Cochran | Louisville |
| Naz Hillmon | Michigan |
| Sam Brunelle | Notre Dame |
| Nyara Sabally | Oregon |
| Taylor Jones | Oregon St. |
| Sania Feagin | South Carolina |
| Cameron Brink | Stanford |
| Alexus Dye | Tennessee |
| Dorka Juhasz | UConn |
| Aaliyah Edwards | UConn |
| Alissa Pili | USC |
| Bethy Mununga | USF |
| Maddy Siegrist | Villanova |
| Kari Niblack | West Virginia |
| Esmery Martinez | West Virginia |
| Raneem Elgedawy | Western Kentucky |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2021-22 season
— ND —