The Tribune

GEORGE Washington Colonials senior forward Jonquel Jones was named to the midseason watch list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which recognises collegiate women’s basketball’s national player of the year, the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) announced yesterday.

Jones is the nation’s leading rebounder (14.8 rpg) and ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (16.9 ppg) and blocked shots (3.0 bpg). The Freeport, Bahamas, native has registered 15 double-doubles in her 19 games played, tied for tops in the NCAA. In addition, the 6-6 forward’s 281 rebounds this season are the eighth-highest single-season total in programme history.

Last week, Jones was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognises the all-around student-athlete, and she was also a preseason candidate for the prestigious Naismith Trophy.

The 2015 Atlantic 10 Player and Defensive Player of the Year and an honourable mention All-American, Jones ranks third all-time at GW with 906 rebounds as a Colonial and sixth with 159 blocked shots to go with her 1,119 points in her three seasons in Foggy Bottom, making her the third Colonial ever with 1,000 points, 800 rebounds and 150 blocks in her career. She has been named A-10 Player of the Week five times this season and 13 times in her career.

Jones is one of 16 players from 12 schools on the Ann Meyers Drysdale midseason watch list and the only player not from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC or American Athletic conferences.

The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, along with the Oscar Robertson Trophy (men’s national player of the year) and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Award (men’s national freshman of the year), will be presented at the College Basketball Awards gala in Oklahoma city on April 11, 2016.

The USBWA, comprised of nearly 1,000 sports journalists covering college basketball for newspapers, magazines and websites, will select the recipients of the awards.