SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that University of Louisville women’s basketball junior forward Olivia Cochran is one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2023 Katrina McClain Award. Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its sixth year recognizes the top power forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.
Cochran enters her junior season at Louisville as one of the most experienced returners from the 2021-22 Final Four team. She is one of two players returning that started over 30 games last season and is the team’s leading rebounder returning. She averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds last season and it is the second-straight season she was named to the McClain Award Watch List. In the Elite Eight win over Michigan, Cochran scored six-straight points to extend the Cardinals lead to eight with just 33 seconds remaining.
Louisville is one of three teams to have a player named to each of the four positional watch lists so far this season. Chrislyn Carr was named to the Lieberman Award Watch List, Hailey Van Lith was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List and Morgan Jones was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List.
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 Katrina McClain Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to McClain and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2023 Katrina McClain 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), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award are NaLyssa Smith, Baylor (2021), Ruthy Hebard, Oregon (2018, 2020) and Napheesa Collier, Connecticut (2019).
For more information on the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Louisville Athletics…