Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Announce Candidates for Inaugural Katrina McClain Award

Top Twenty Female Collegiate Power Forwards Named to Watch List

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 2018 Katrina McClain Award. Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its inaugural year recognizes the top power forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.

“Katrina McClain was the ultimate power forward, bringing extraordinary effort and a double-double nearly every time she set foot on the court,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “From the University of Georgia to Team USA, Katrina made her mark on the game through heart and determination. The power forwards on this watch list display many of the characteristics that made Katrina such an outstanding player.”

The Selection Committee for the Katrina McClain Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2018 Katrina McClain Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. McClain-Pittman and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite finalist at www.hoophallawards.com.

The winner of the 2018 Katrina McClain Power Forward Award will be announced during ESPN2’s telecast of the national semifinal games in the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, March 30. 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, as well as the Wade Trophy, the sport’s oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award.

“It is a great honor to be a part of the new women’s positional awards,” said Katrina McClain-Pittman, a 2012 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The Basketball Hall of Fame honors both the men’s and women’s game at all levels and I’m proud to see the introduction of these awards recognizing the hard work of these deserving young women.”

For more information on the 2018 Katrina McClain Award, visit www.hoophallawards.com.

2018 Katrina McClain Award Candidates

     *Players can play their way on to and off of the list at any point in the 2017-18 season*

About Katrina McClain-Pittman: Katrina McClain-Pittman was a prolific rebounder and terrific scorer in a career that spanned three Olympic Games and three continents. Before she earned her stripes for USA Basketball, McClain-Pittman starred at the University of Georgia where she was a two-time Kodak All-American and the WBCA National Player of the Year her senior season. She left Georgia as the school's second all-time leading scorer and rebounder, averaging a double-double her final two seasons in Athens. The Lady Bulldogs reached the 1985 NCAA Final Four and national championship game with McClain-Pittman controlling the paint and Teresa Edwards running the offense. The two-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year finished her international career with two Olympic gold medals and one bronze, three FIBA World Championships medals, and five medals at the Goodwill Games, Pan Am Games, and World University Games. In all, McClain-Pittman appeared on eleven USA Basketball rosters becoming one of the most decorated athletes in USA Basketball history. She has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, the Georgia State Hall of Fame, and the National High School Hall of Fame, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.

For more information:

Visit us online: www.hoophallawards.com

… on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BHOF

… on Twitter/Instagram: @hoophall #McClainAward

… or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA

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 those 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.

For more information:

Visit us online: www.WBCA.org

… on Facebook: www/facebook.com/WBCA1981/

… on Twitter/Instagram: @wbca1981

… or call 770-279-8027