Gonzaga’s Brynna Maxwell named to Ann Meyers Drysdale watchlist for top shooting guard

Gonzaga senior Brynna Maxwell is one of 20 shooting guards in the country named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale watch list, announced Tuesday by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Maxwell averaged 13.5 points a game last year, third best among her teammates, while being one of the best free-throw and 3-point shooters in the country.

Maxwell shot 94.9% from the free-throw line and 48.1 from beyond 3-point range, leading the nation for most of the season before finishing second.

She scored in double figures in 23 of 33 games, hitting a 3-pointer in every game during the regular season. She was named to the All-West Coast Conference first team.

During the WCC Media Day last week, Maxwell was named to the preseason all-conference team.

Named after the first player, male or female, selected to an All-America Team in four straight seasons, the annual award in its seventh year recognizes the top shooting guard in women’s NCAA Division I basketball.

Zags get votes in Top 25

Despite the return of four starters from last season’s 28-5 team, Gonzaga didn’t crack the AP Top 25 preseason poll . The Bulldogs earned 15 votes.