Arizona women’s basketball players Cate Reese and Esmery Martinez were named to the Katrina McClain Award watch list Thursday morning by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award is given at the end of the season to the top power forward in the country.
Reese and Martinez are familiar with this list. Both were on the preseason watch list last year and Reese was a finalist in 2020.
Reese, who is entering her fifth season as a Wildcat, earned an AP All-American honorable mention nod last season after averaging 14.3 points and 6 rebounds per game last year. She has scored more than 1,500 points in her career and has made the All-Pac-12 team three times.
Martinez, a senior transfer from West Virginia, is a two-time All-Big 12 team member. Last season she averaged 11.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. In three years as a Mountaineer, she grabbed 785 rebounds. Martinez averaged a double-double with 13.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in her sophomore year.
Two other Pac-12 players made this list: Stanford All-American Cameron Brink and Utah senior transfer Alissa Pili.
Reese and Martinez join senior transfer Jade Loville on preseason watch lists. Loville was named last week to the Ann Meyers Drysdale award watch list; the award is given to the nation’s top shooting guard.
No. 19 Arizona plays an exhibition game Oct. 27 against West Texas A&M. The Wildcats home opener is Nov. 10 against NAU.
