Horston Selected For Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Preseason Watch List
October 18, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Tennessee senior guard Jordan Horston is among 20 players named as preseason watch list candidates for the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced on Tuesday.
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Named after the first player, male or female, selected to an All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual award in its sixth year recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
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"Each of these players have demonstrated the skills Ann Meyers Drysdale mastered throughout her playing career," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Ann has had an impact on the game that extends past her playing career, and we are honored to work alongside her to evaluate our watch list candidates. We invite the fans to cast their votes and weigh-in alongside Annie and our committee members."
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A 6-foot-2 senior, Horston enters the 2022-23 campaign as a three-year starter, averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest for her career. She was an All-SEC First Team selection by the coaches and media last season and is a two-time All-America Honorable Mention choice by AP and the WBCA. She also was a top 10 finalist for the Drysdale Award in 2021-22.
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A year ago, Horston led Tennessee in per-game averages for all contests in scoring (16.2), rebounds (9.4), assists (4.0) and steals (1.4) and was second in blocks (1.0). She reached an even higher level of productivity vs. ranked opponents, averaging 20.7 ppg., 10.7 rpg., and 4.0 apg.
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In all games, she ranked third in the SEC by average in rebounding, eighth in scoring and eighth in assists. Her rebound average was the third-best ever recorded by a junior in Lady Vol history and tied for the best-ever at UT by a true guard with Shelia Collins (1984-85). Horston's assist average tied as the seventh best all-time among UT juniors with Alexis Hornbuckle. She now stands No. 6 on UT's career list with a 4.28 assist-per-game average. Additionally, she recorded 12 double-doubles, tying for third in the SEC and tying for third with Glory Johnson among all-time Lady Vol juniors.
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Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 21. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
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The winner of the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale 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 Award (Point Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
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Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019) and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
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For more information on the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MeyersAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates*
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*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-23 season
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About Ann Meyers Drysdale:
Ann Meyers Drysdale's career escalated women's basketball to a new level. She was the first high school player to make the United States national team and the first woman to receive a full four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA. Her high-octane approach translated into wins and awards, and she finished her impressive career at UCLA owning 12 of 13 school records including becoming the first player to record a quadruple double in UCLA history.
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A supremely talented all-around player with natural basketball ability and instincts, Meyers Drysdale was the first player, male or female, named to an All-America team in four straight seasons and was named Player of the Year during her senior year. While still at UCLA, she started on the first women's Olympic team in 1976. After an All-America career, she became the first player drafted into the Women's Basketball League, earning WBL MVP and making history by becoming the first female player to tryout with an NBA team, the Indiana Pacers, with whom she signed a free agent contract.
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Meyers Drysdale pushed the envelope in women's basketball, bringing a feel and sense for the game that few players ever exhibited. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. Â In 2007, she was the 1st American Women to be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2012, Meyers Drysdale became one of the first annual naming honorees on the women's side of the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) with the organization's National Women's Player of the Year.
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Since retiring from professional play, she has had a very successful career as an NBA and WNBA executive, as well as a color commentator for the NBA, WNBA and the Olympic Games in 1984, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. In 2005 she received the ASAMA Ronald Reagan Media Award and in 2019, she was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Pac-12 Hall of Honor.
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Named after the first player, male or female, selected to an All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual award in its sixth year recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Â
"Each of these players have demonstrated the skills Ann Meyers Drysdale mastered throughout her playing career," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Ann has had an impact on the game that extends past her playing career, and we are honored to work alongside her to evaluate our watch list candidates. We invite the fans to cast their votes and weigh-in alongside Annie and our committee members."
Â
A 6-foot-2 senior, Horston enters the 2022-23 campaign as a three-year starter, averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest for her career. She was an All-SEC First Team selection by the coaches and media last season and is a two-time All-America Honorable Mention choice by AP and the WBCA. She also was a top 10 finalist for the Drysdale Award in 2021-22.
Â
A year ago, Horston led Tennessee in per-game averages for all contests in scoring (16.2), rebounds (9.4), assists (4.0) and steals (1.4) and was second in blocks (1.0). She reached an even higher level of productivity vs. ranked opponents, averaging 20.7 ppg., 10.7 rpg., and 4.0 apg.
Â
In all games, she ranked third in the SEC by average in rebounding, eighth in scoring and eighth in assists. Her rebound average was the third-best ever recorded by a junior in Lady Vol history and tied for the best-ever at UT by a true guard with Shelia Collins (1984-85). Horston's assist average tied as the seventh best all-time among UT juniors with Alexis Hornbuckle. She now stands No. 6 on UT's career list with a 4.28 assist-per-game average. Additionally, she recorded 12 double-doubles, tying for third in the SEC and tying for third with Glory Johnson among all-time Lady Vol juniors.
Â
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 21. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
Â
The winner of the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale 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 Award (Point Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Â
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019) and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
Â
For more information on the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MeyersAward on Twitter and Instagram.
Â
2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates*
| Jade Loville | Arizona | Taylor Mikesell | Ohio State |
| Ja'Mee Asberry | Baylor | Taylor Robertson | Oklahoma |
| Celeste Taylor | Duke | Zia Cooke | South Carolina |
| Cameron Swartz | Georgia Tech | Elena Tsineke | South Florida |
| Sara Scalia | Indiana | Jordan Horston | Tennessee |
| Hailey Van Lith | Louisville | Sonya Morris | Texas |
| Diamond Miller | Maryland | Charisma Osborne | UCLA |
| Leigha Brown | Michigan | Azzi Fudd | UConn |
| Jakia Brown-Turner | NC State | Ashley Owusu | Virginia Tech |
| Jaz Shelly | Nebraska | Charlisse Leger-Walker | Washington State |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-23 season
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About Ann Meyers Drysdale:
Ann Meyers Drysdale's career escalated women's basketball to a new level. She was the first high school player to make the United States national team and the first woman to receive a full four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA. Her high-octane approach translated into wins and awards, and she finished her impressive career at UCLA owning 12 of 13 school records including becoming the first player to record a quadruple double in UCLA history.
Â
A supremely talented all-around player with natural basketball ability and instincts, Meyers Drysdale was the first player, male or female, named to an All-America team in four straight seasons and was named Player of the Year during her senior year. While still at UCLA, she started on the first women's Olympic team in 1976. After an All-America career, she became the first player drafted into the Women's Basketball League, earning WBL MVP and making history by becoming the first female player to tryout with an NBA team, the Indiana Pacers, with whom she signed a free agent contract.
Â
Meyers Drysdale pushed the envelope in women's basketball, bringing a feel and sense for the game that few players ever exhibited. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. Â In 2007, she was the 1st American Women to be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2012, Meyers Drysdale became one of the first annual naming honorees on the women's side of the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) with the organization's National Women's Player of the Year.
Â
Since retiring from professional play, she has had a very successful career as an NBA and WNBA executive, as well as a color commentator for the NBA, WNBA and the Olympic Games in 1984, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. In 2005 she received the ASAMA Ronald Reagan Media Award and in 2019, she was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Pac-12 Hall of Honor.
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