by By Mario Bravante, arkansasrazorbacks.com
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Redshirt senior guard Chelsea Dungee was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Preseason Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. Dungee was one of 20 shooting guards to make the watch list, which recognizes the top players at the position in women’s college basketball.
This is the second straight year Dungee has been named to the watch list, cementing her status as one of the best off-ball guards in the country. Dungee is coming off a great encore performance during her second season at Arkansas, one in which she led the team in scoring (16.9 PPG), field goals made (171) and free throws made (146). For her efforts last season, Dungee garnered her second straight Second-Team All-SEC nod.
Dungee is closing in on several statistical milestones at Arkansas, including Arkansas’ all-time scoring title and all-time free throws made record. Dungee needs just 530 points to break Bettye Fiscus’ program-record 2,073 points, and she has scored at least 540 points in each of her previous two seasons on the Hill. She needs to make only 51 free throws to break Fiscus’ record in that category, and has made over 145 in each of her first two Arkansas campaigns.
The Sapulpa, Oklahoma product will see two of the other candidates on the watch list early on this season, as both Ashley Owusu of Maryland and DiJonai Carrington of Baylor are among the 20 candidates. Dungee is also one of three SEC players on the list, joining Zia Cooke from South Carolina and Destiny Pitts from Texas A&M.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In early February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In early March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
