AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn senior Unique Thompson is among the top 10 candidates for the Katrina McClain Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday.
Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its fourth year recognizes the top power forwards in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
Thompson, a 6-3 senior from Theodore, Ala., heads into this week's play as the national leader in rebounds per game (14.0) and offensive rebounds per game (6.1). She is also Auburn's leading scorer (17.8 ppg) and has 11 double-doubles in 13 games played this season.
With 1,070 career rebounds, she is just 49 shy of breaking the Auburn career record (Becky Jackson, 1,118). And with 53 career double-doubles, appropriately enough, she needs just three more double-doubles to tie McClain for 13th in SEC history. Four more double-doubles would put her in a four-way tie for 10th.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mrs. McClain-Pittman and the Hall of Fame selection committee. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, Feb. 5, at noon CT on HoopHallAwards.com.
The winner of the 2021 Katrina McClain Award will be presented Friday, April 9, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five.
2021 Katrina McClain Award Top 10
Jasmine Walker, Alabama
Unique Thompson, Auburn
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
Naz Hillmon, Michigan
Jessika Carter, Mississippi State
Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State
Francesca Belibi, Stanford
N'dea Jones, Texas A&M
Chelsey Perry, UT Martin
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova