Aari McDonald already qualified to become the sixth member of the Arizona women’s basketball Ring of Honor with her Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year selection.
She added to her qualifications today becoming the first WBCA All-American in Arizona history. She is one of the 10 WBCA All-Americans selected, which included Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally.
To be inducted in the Ring of Honor at Arizona a candidate must have these qualifications:
— First-Team All-America recognition by one or more of the major national organizations or media.
— Major national “player of distinction”, e.g. Heisman, Wooden, etc.; and/or national championship Most Valuable or Outstanding Player distinction.
— Pac-10/12 Player of the Year or Pac-10/12 Freshman of the Year; and Pac-10/12 Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year.
— Arizona career leader in three or more major positive “career” categories at the conclusion of their collegiate career, must hold the career record for a minimum of 5 years (e.g., does not include single game record(s), minutes played, etc.).
— 10-plus years in the United States major professional leagues (NFL, NBA, WNBA and MLB) and/or been selected as an all-star/all-pro by the official league.
— Olympic medalist.
Arizona’s Ring of Honor now:
McDonald.
Adia Barnes (her coach who played at Arizona from 1995-1998).
The late Shawntinice Polk (2001-2005).
Dee Dee Wheeler (2002-2005)
Ify Ibekwe (2007-2011).
Davellyn Whyte (2009-2013).
The WBCA selection is McDonald’s third All-America honor this year. She was named an AP and USBWA second-team All-American. She is a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the Honda Award and was also a finalist for the Wooden Award, the Wade Trophy and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
The Fresno, Calif., native was named All-Pac-12 after leading the conference in scoring (20.6 points a game) and steals per game (2.3). She is the only player in conference history to lead the Pac-12 in scoring and steals twice.
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.
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 |
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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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