Arizona's Aari McDonald named nation's best shooting guard by Basketball Hall of Fame

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame confirmed on Monday morning what most Arizona Wildcats fans have known for two years: Aari McDonald is the best shooting guard in the country. 

The UA's scoring, stealing spitfire was named the winner of this year's Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. The trophy, named after the women's basketball legend, is given annually to the best shooting guard in the country. 

Arizona star @AariMcdonald has been named winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which is given to the nation’s top shooting guard. (Via @Hoophall) pic.twitter.com/yXK7KVQb8G

— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 6, 2020

The honor is arguably the biggest ever given to an Wildcats women's basketball player. 

In a statement, McDonald thanked her coaches and teammates. She announced a week ago that she would be returning to the UA for her senior season rather than turning pro. 

"It's definitely a silver lining to the season that left our program and so many others with unfinished business," she said. "We'll come back hungrier next season to keep pushing and take this program to places it has never been." 

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McDonald led the Pac-12 in scoring (20.6 points per game) and steals (2.3 steals per game) as Arizona rose to No. 12 in the country, its best ranking in 20 years. McDonald has scored in double figures in all 66 games in which she's played at the UA, an active record. With McDonald leading the way, the Wildcats advanced to the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, where they lost to powerhouse Oregon. The team was in line to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament when the basketball postseason was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award was one of five "positional awards" given out by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Monday morning. McDonald joins Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu (Nancy Lieberman Award for best point guard), Oregon's Satou Sabaly (Cheryl Miller Award for best small forward), Oregon's Ruthy Hebard (Katrina McClain Award for best power forward) and South Carolina's Aliyah Boston (Lisa Leslie Award for best center).

McDonald has been busy during the award season, earning WBCA All-America honors while being named a second-team All-American by The Associated Press and the USWBA. She was also named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the All-Pac-12 Team and a finalist for the Wade Trophy, Honda Award and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. 

In a video posted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's Twitter feed, Meyers Drysdale addressed McDonald directly.

"What I love about your game is your passion on both ends of the floor," she said. "You're one of the top scorers in the nation, you're an aggressive rebounders, you led the team in assists and steals and were named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year — and you're an All-American. Ive enjoyed watching your game grow and I'm proud to know that you've been named the 2020 Naismith shooting guard."