Arizona junior guard Aari McDonald was named a second-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association on Monday.
The AP second-team Alll-American, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Finalist, Wooden Award Finalist and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Finalist led the Pac-12 in both scoring (20.6 points) and steals (2.3) per game this season.
Arizona Women's Basketball All-Americans
| Season | Player | Agency | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | Margo Clark | Basketball Times | Honorable mention |
| 1996-97 | Adia Barnes | Associated Press | Honorable mention |
| 1996-97 | Adia Barnes | Kodak/WBCA | Honorable mention |
| 1997-98 | Adia Barnes | Associated Press | Third team |
| 1997-98 | Adia Barnes | WBCA/Kodak | Honorable mention |
| 1997-98 | Adia Barnes | USBWA | First team |
| 1997-98 | Adia Barnes | Women’s Basketball Journal | Second team |
| 1997-98 | Adia Barnes | The Sporting News | Honorable mention |
| 2002-03 | Shawntinice Polk | Associated Press | Honorable mention |
| 2002-03 | Shawntinice Polk | WBCA/Kodak | Honorable mention |
| 2003-04 | Shawntinice Polk | WBCA/Kodak | Honorable mention |
| 2004-05 | Dee-Dee Wheeler | Associated Press | Honorable mention |
| 2004-05 | Dee-Dee Wheeler | WBCA/Kodak | Honorable mention |
| 2004-05 | Shawntinice Polk | WBCA/Kodak | Honorable mention |
| 2008-09 | Ify Ibekwe | Associated Press | Honorable mention |
| 2010-11 | Ify Ibekwe | Associated Press | Honorable mention |
| 2011-12 | Davellyn Whyte | Associated Press | Honorable mention |
| 2018-19 | Aari McDonald | Associated Press | Honorable mention |
| 2018-19 | Aari McDonald | WBCA | Honorable mention |
| 2019-20 | Aari McDonald | Associated Press | Second team |
| 2019-20 | Aari McDonald | USBWA | Second team |
| 2019-20 | Aari McDonald | WBCA | First team |
McDonald is Arizona’s first USBWA All-American since her coach, Adia Barnes, earned a first-team honor as a senior in 1998.
McDonald finished the season 10th in the country in scoring and has scored in double-figures in 66 straight games, the longest active streak in the nation which is also her entire Arizona career. She helped lead Arizona to 24 wins this season, which is tied for the second-most wins in school history while also leading the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish in the Pac-12, Arizona’s best finish since 2011.
McDonald finished the season with a 34-point performance vs. Oregon in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals, which is the most points any player scored at this year’s tournament. It is also the second time in her career she scored 34 against the Ducks in the Pac-12 tournament and is the school record for most points in a conference tournament game.
McDonald is sixth in Arizona history with 1,486 total points inher two seasons as a Wildcat. Her 596 points this season is the fourth-most points any player has scored in one season in Arizona history. She also holds that record after scoring 890 last year, the most by any Arizona player on the men’s or women’s side. In her two years at Arizona, she has averaged 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game on 45 percent shooting from the field.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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