Top 5 finalists for Katrina McClain award feat. LSU’s Aneesha Morrow

LSU's Aneesah Morrow is among the contenders for the prestigious Katrina McClain Award for the 2024-25 college basketball season. The final list of the annual award has been narrowed down to five notable players from different conferences.

Named after the legendary Hall of Famer from the University of Georgia, the honor recognizes the player with frontcourt dominance. It also takes in elements like scoring, rebounding, defense, leadership and overall winning impact. With that, here's a closer look at the candidates competing for the award:

Aneesha Morrow and other finalists for the Katrina McClain award

#5. Yvonne Ejim - Gonzaga (West Coast Conference)

Yvonne Ejim earned the WCC Player of the Year and Defensive PoY for the second straight time this season behind her all-around impact. She averaged 20.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks while making 52.6% of her attempts. She is the only Katrina McClain award contender out of the Power Four conferences.

Ejim led Gonzaga to the conference season title behind a 22-9 overall record. She helped the Bulldogs earn a WBIT seed, where they made a quarterfinal appearance against Minnesota.

#4. Makayla Timpson - Florida State (ACC)

A top-three rim protector in the NCAA circuit, the senior posted 17.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 3.1 blocks on a 54.3% clip. Makayla Timpson led the Atlantic Coast Conference in double-doubles (15) and also made program history with 46 such stat lines.

Timpson helped Florida State finish fourth in the ACC and earn a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Seminoles easily defeated George Mason in the opener before falling to LSU 101-71 in the second round.

#3. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs - Baylor (Big 12)

The only junior candidate for the Katrina McClain award averaged a double-double this season - 13.8 points and 10.0 rebounds across 28 games. She also garnered 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 53.0% overall. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs posted double digits in either points or rebounds across 25 games, including ranked contests against UCLA and TCU.

Littlepage-Buggs led Baylor to a 15-3 conference record, earning a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Bears defeated Grand Canyon in the first round but fell to No. 5 Ole Miss in the next game.

#2. Aneesah Morrow - LSU (SEC)

The rebounding guard was a consistent force when Angel Reese gripped the frontcourt and is a strong Katrina McClain award favorite in her absence. Alongside 18.5 points on 49.5% shooting, she leads the NCAA in rebounds (13.5) and double-doubles (29). She also grabbed 20 or more rebounds four times this season - two of those games came against ranked opponents.

Aneesah Morrow is averaging 14 points, 11.5 rebounds and five assists in March Madness as No. 3 LSU prepares for No. 2 NC State in the Sweet 16.

#1. Kiki Iriafen - USC (Big Ten)

The Stanford transfer and former Katrina McClain award winner immediately made USC a contender in the 2024 offseason. Sharing leadership responsibilities with JuJu Watkins, she averaged 18.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 50.6% shooting. Kiki Iriafen had key double doubles in ranked contests against the UConn Huskies and Ohio State Buckeyes, helping Trojans post the best record in the conference.

As the program star Watkins suffered a season-ending injury early in the second round, she posted her best game of the season - 36 points on 72.7% shooting, to push the team to the Sweet 16.