How Dana Evans Stacks Up Against Other National Player of the Year Candidates
(Photo of Dana Evans: Scott Utterback/Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville women's basketball guard Dana Evans has not seen her collegiate career come to an end yet, but it already has a storied one.
Last season as a junior, the 5-foot-6 guard was named the ACC Player of the Year, and was one of 10 WBCA All-Americans - joining Angel McCoughtry and Asia Durr as the only ones in program history.
As you can imagine, she drew plenty of preseason recognition before her senior campaign even began. She was named to the Naismith Trophy & Drysdale Award watch lists, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, and one of the five AP Preseason All-Americans.
So far through the 2020-21 season, she has backed up that lofty praise on the court. Her 20.2 points per game tops the Atlantic Coast Conference, her assist/turnover ratio of 1.95 is fifth, and her 39.8% three-point shooting percentage is seventh.
Outside of winning a national championship, the only real award, trophy or accolade for her to earn is to win either the John R. Wooden Award or Naismith Trophy, which goes to the nation's top men's and women college basketball players.
The Gary, Ind. native has a very real shot at taking home home this very prestigious honor, but it won't be easy, as she is going up against many worthy candidates for the title of "best player in women's college basketball".
To get a sense of the competition she is up against, here are the stat lines for all 20 players that were named to the Wooden Award Women's Late Season Top 20 Watch List, including Evans:
*Stats accurate through Feb. 5, 2021*
*Mobile users can scroll left & right on the table*
| Name | School | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3PT% | BPG | SPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aliyah Boston | South Carolina | 13.7 | 11.3 | 1.6 | 49.5% | 26.9% | 2.9 | 1.2 |
Paige Bueckers | UConn | 20.4 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 57.3% | 59.6% | 0.2 | 2.3 |
Charli Collier | Texas | 22.0 | 12.8 | 0.5 | 50.6% | 25.0% | 1.0 | 0.6 |
Zia Cooke | South Carolina | 16.2 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 41.9% | 42.4% | 0.1 | 0.9 |
Elissa Cunane | NC State | 16.2 | 7.4 | 1.1 | 59.8% | 50.0% | 1.2 | 0.6 |
Rennia Davis | Tennessee | 14.5 | 8.9 | 2.9 | 47.8% | 22.0% | 0.5 | 0.9 |
Chelsea Dungee | Arkansas | 22.4 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 43.0% | 37.5% | 0.3 | 1.4 |
Dana Evans | Louisville | 20.2 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 45.6% | 39.8% | 0.1 | 1.5 |
Arella Guirantes | Rutgers | 22.5 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 39.4% | 38.6% | 2.4 | 3.1 |
Naz Hillmon | Michigan | 26.3 | 12.3 | 1.8 | 63.6% | 0.0% | 0.8 | 0.7 |
Rhyne Howard | Kentucky | 19.7 | 7.1 | 3.7 | 44.2% | 34.7% | 0.7 | 1.8 |
Rickea Jackson | Mississippi State | 15.8 | 4.5 | 1.9 | 41.4% | 33.3% | 0.5 | 0.6 |
Ashley Joens | Iowa State | 31.5 | 8.8 | 0.8 | 53.9% | 40.9% | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Haley Jones | Stanford | 14.8 | 8.3 | 3.4 | 55.7% | 16.7% | 1.1 | 0.8 |
Natasha Mack | Oklahoma State | 19.0 | 12.3 | 1.9 | 52.1% | 0.0% | 4.2 | 2.2 |
Aari McDonald | Arizona | 18.5 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 41.1% | 31.9% | 0.0 | 2.7 |
Olivia Nelson-Ododa | UConn | 13.5 | 7.1 | 2.3 | 61.7% | 27.3% | 1.8 | 0.6 |
Michaela Onyenwere | UCLA | 17.1 | 8.8 | 2.4 | 40.5% | 25.0% | 0.3 | 0.6 |
NaLyssa Smith | Baylor | 17.6 | 10.1 | 1.3 | 50.3% | 0.0% | 0.9 | 1.1 |
Kiana Williams | Stanford | 13.4 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 38.8% | 33.0% | 0.1 | 1.6 |
Five players are averaging double-doubles, an additional five are shooting over 55.0% from the field, and several stats are flat out ridiculous - such as UConn's Paige Bueckers shooting nearly 60.0% from three or Iowa State's Ashley Joens averaging over 30 points per game (albeit in just four games). But with roughly a month left in the regular season, Evans has just as much of a shot as anyone else does.
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