{"id":942954,"date":"2026-10-27T17:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T17:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/942954\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T17:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T17:04:11","slug":"riley-weiss-named-to-naismiths-shooting-guard-of-the-year-watch-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/942954\/","title":{"rendered":"Riley Weiss Named to Naismith\u2019s Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List"},"content":{"rendered":"

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. \u2013 Columbia senior Riley Weiss<\/a> has been named to the watch list for the 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, recognizing the top shooting guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a> and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association<\/a> (WBCA) announced a list of 20 candidates from around the nation on Tuesday, which was determined by a national committee of top college basketball personnel.
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\nThe Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in its 10th year, honors the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I women’s college basketball. It is named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer, the first player, regardless of gender, to be chosen for an All-America Team in four consecutive college seasons.
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\nPrevious winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt (2026), JuJu Watkins, USC (2024-25), Zia Cooke, South Carolina (2023), Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019), and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
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\nFans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 30. In February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March. In late March, the five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected.
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\nThe selection committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
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\nWeiss is coming off a season in which she scored a program-record 662 points (20.1 points per game) and led the Ivy League in scoring, total points, field goals made (238), and 3-pointers made (93). She became just the fourth player in Columbia history to average at least 20 points per game in a season while setting school records for single-season points and total field goals. With 232 career triples, Weiss continues her ascent up the Ivy League all-time charts after back-to-back seasons hitting over 90 shots from beyond the arc. She was named the 2025-26 Ivy League Player of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-Ivy League selection, and the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Division I Player of the Year, while leading Columbia to a 2026 WBIT Championship.
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\nEntering the 2026-27 season, Weiss has accumulated 1,429 career points in three seasons, along with 125 assists and 105 steals. She averages 15.2 points per game across her career, shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3-point range and 84.2 percent from the free throw line. Her 1,429 career points place her among the top scorers in program history as she enters her senior campaign.
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\nThe Lions begin the 2026-27 season at home on Monday, November 2, against Davidson. Tip-off fro Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium on women’s college basketball’s opening day is slated for 11 a.m.
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\n2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates*
\nRiley Weiss<\/a> – Columbia
\nTaryn Barbot \u2013 Pitt
\nMikayla Blakes \u2013 Vanderbilt
\nAsia Boone \u2013 Kentucky
\nDani Carnegie \u2013 Iowa
\nTalaysia Cooper \u2013 Ole Miss
\nMiLaysia Fulwiley \u2013 LSU
\nDelaney Gibb \u2013 BYU
\nAvery Howell \u2013 Washington
\nDonovyn Hunter \u2013 UCLA
\nTessa Johnson \u2013 South Carolina
\nRiley Nelson \u2013 Duke
\nOluchi Okananwa \u2013 Maryland
\nTajianna Roberts \u2013 Louisville
\nTaliah Scott \u2013 Baylor
\nSyla Swords \u2013 Michigan
\nLulu Twidale \u2013 Cal
\nJuJu Watkins \u2013 USC
\nRuby Whitehorn \u2013 Arizona State
\nHannah Wickstrom \u2013 Purdue
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\nAbout the WBCA
\nFounded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981, or call 1-770-279-8027.
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\nAbout the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
\nLocated in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level\u2014men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors worldwide. The Hall of Fame museum is home to nearly 500 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Welcoming close to 200,000 visitors each year, the museum invites fans to learn about the game, experience interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates more than 100 high school and collegiate games annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com or follow @hoophallu.
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