Mununga is in the running for the nation’s top power forward; Fan voting starts on Feb. 11.
TAMPA (Feb. 10, 2022) – University of South Florida women’s basketball standout Bethy Mununga has been named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Katrina McClain Award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Mununga is the lone representative of the American Athletic Conference.
Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its fifth year recognizes the top power forward in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which has now been narrowed to 10.
Mununga is having another banner season for the Bulls and is one of the dominating rebounders in women’s basketball. She is currently third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per game, and is grabbing 11.8 rebounds per outing which are tops in The American and seventh in the nation. In addition, her 260 total rebounds on the year lead the conference and are fifth in the nation.
A six-foot senior forward from Zellik, Belgium, Mununga has recorded 14 double-figure rebounding games this season and logged nine double-doubles, including seven in her last 11 outings.
Mununga had back-to-back 20-rebound efforts which included a career-high 23 rebounds against Stanford – and fellow McClain Award finalist Cameron Brink – in the Bulls’ 57-54 win over No. 7-ranked and the defending national champion Cardinal.
In addition to Brink of Stanford, Mununga has faced one other McClain Award finalist, going head-to-head with Alexus Dye of Tennessee. Mununga grabbed 13 rebounds and had six points against Lady Vols while holding Dye to just six points and seven rebounds.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late February, the watch list of 10 players for the 2022 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to five. In March those finalists will be presented to Ms. McClain and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, February 11 (www.hoophallawards.com).
The winner of the 2022 Katrina McClain Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award include NaLyssa Smith, Baylor (2021), Ruthy Hebard, Oregon (2018, 2020) and Napheesa Collier, Connecticut (2019).
For more information on the 2022 Katrina McClain Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #McClainAward on Twitter and Instagram.
The Bulls return home to the Yuengling Center on Sunday for a crucial meeting with Central Florida in the second game of the War on I-4. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. with the game being televised live nationally on ESPN2.
For tickets call (800) Go-Bulls or head to USFBullsTix.com.
2022 Katrina McClain Award Candidates
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor University
Lauren Gustin, Brigham Young University
Lorela Cubaj, Georgia Tech
Cameron Brink, Stanford University
Angel Reese, University of Maryland
Naz Hillmon, University of Michigan
Nyara Sabally, University of Oregon
Bethy Mununga, University of South Florida
Alexus Dye, University of Tennessee
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova University
About USF Women’s Basketball
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USF recorded its best season in program history during the 2020-21 campaign, all while navigating the unpredictable COVID-19 landscape. In doing so, the Bulls won their first-ever American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and posted their highest ranking in the Associated Press Top25 poll – reaching as high as No. 12 – and made their ninth straight postseason appearance, and sixth NCAA appearance in the last 10 years.
USF has made 16 postseason tournament appearances and had seven NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 21 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship, and won nearly 400 career games. For his efforts on the sideline during the 2020-21 season, Fernandez was named a finalist for the WBCA and semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Awards. He was also tabbed the 2021 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
The Bulls posted a 19-4 record and had five players, during the 2020-21 campaign, the Bulls had five players recognized by The American for impressive seasons, including Elisa Pinzan (Most Improved Player, All-Conference Second Team), Maria Alvarez (Co-Sixth Player of the Year), Bethy Mununga (All-Conference First Team), Elena Tsineke (All-Conference First Team), and Sydni Harvey (All-Conference Third Team).
In addition, Harvey was named the American Athletic Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament Team, while Mununga and Tsineke were also All-Tournament selections.
– #GoBulls –
