University of Minnesota Athletics
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/ Women's Basketball
Bello Named to Katrina McClain Award Watch List
10/24/2019 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota senior Taiye Bello has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2020 Katrina McClain Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced Thursday.
Bello was one of 20 student-athletes, including one of three from the Big Ten, to be added to the watch list for the award that is given annually to the nation's top power forward. Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year from the University of Georgia, the McClain Award is in its third year of existence.
Bell is coming off of a breakout junior season where she earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors from the coaches and media. She was ninth in the country and second in the Big Ten with her 11.9 rebounds per game, a figure that also ranked fifth in Minnesota program history. Her jump from 6.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2017-18 to 11.9 as a junior last year was the largest of any player in the Big Ten.
Further showcasing her rebounding prowess, she had 19 games last year with at least 10 rebounds, 11 games with at least 15 boards, seven games with at least 18 rebounds and one game with at least 20.
Bello also set the Minnesota single-season record with 152 offensive rebounds last year, ranked fourth in team single-season history and tied for seventh in Big Ten history for total rebounds (380), fifth in team annals in defensive rebounds (228), and seventh in blocks (49).
With 718 career rebounds and 80 blocks, she enters the 2019-20 season just nine rebounds and four blocks away from cracking Minnesota's career top 10 in both categories. In addition, she needs 19 offensive rebounds to break the program record of 361 set by Janel McCarville from 2001-05.
The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Katrina McClain Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. McClain-Pittman and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, Calif., on Friday, April 10, 2020.
Bello was one of 20 student-athletes, including one of three from the Big Ten, to be added to the watch list for the award that is given annually to the nation's top power forward. Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year from the University of Georgia, the McClain Award is in its third year of existence.
Bell is coming off of a breakout junior season where she earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors from the coaches and media. She was ninth in the country and second in the Big Ten with her 11.9 rebounds per game, a figure that also ranked fifth in Minnesota program history. Her jump from 6.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2017-18 to 11.9 as a junior last year was the largest of any player in the Big Ten.
Further showcasing her rebounding prowess, she had 19 games last year with at least 10 rebounds, 11 games with at least 15 boards, seven games with at least 18 rebounds and one game with at least 20.
Bello also set the Minnesota single-season record with 152 offensive rebounds last year, ranked fourth in team single-season history and tied for seventh in Big Ten history for total rebounds (380), fifth in team annals in defensive rebounds (228), and seventh in blocks (49).
With 718 career rebounds and 80 blocks, she enters the 2019-20 season just nine rebounds and four blocks away from cracking Minnesota's career top 10 in both categories. In addition, she needs 19 offensive rebounds to break the program record of 361 set by Janel McCarville from 2001-05.
The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Katrina McClain Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. McClain-Pittman and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, Calif., on Friday, April 10, 2020.
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