SPRINGFIELD, Mass.— The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that
Yvonne Ejim is one of the five finalists for the 2025 Katrina McClain Award.
The Katrina McClain Award, now in its eighth year, recognizes the top power forwards in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It is named after the two-time All-American, 1987 National Player of the Year, and Class of 2012 Hall of Famer.
2025 Katrina McClain Award Finalists
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs Baylor
Makayla Timpson Florida State
Yvonne Ejim Gonzaga
Aneesah Morrow LSU
Kiki Iriafen USC
Ejim was recently voted the WCC's Player and Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row after another standout regular season where she led the West Coast Conference in points (642), points per game (20.7), rebounds (270), rebounds per game (8.7), field goals (244), and double-doubles (11). She was also second in the conference in field goal percentage (.527) and free throws made (143), and eighth in the league in blocks per game (1.0). Ejim ranks ninth nationally in points and 15th in the country in points per game. Ejim ranks second in West Coast Conference history in career scoring in all games (2,301) and conference games (1,223). She also ranks fifth in WCC history (all games) with 1,085 career rebounds. Ejim is the first Gonzaga player to win back-to-back WCC Defensive Player of the Year. She is also the first player to win WCC Player of the Year back-to-back since Courtney Vandersloot.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting starting on Friday, March 7, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
Later this month, the finalists will be presented to Malone and McClain and the Hall of Fame's selection committees. The Selection Committees for the Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards are composed of top men's and women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2025 Malone and McClain Awards will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's and Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards (Small Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).
Previous winners of the Katrina McClain Award are Kiki Iriafen, Stanford (2024), Maddy Siegrist, Villanova (2023), NaLyssa Smith, Baylor (2021-22), Ruthy Hebard, Oregon (2018, '20), and Napheesa Collier, Connecticut (2019).
For more information on the 2025 Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #MaloneAward, and #McClainAward on X and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers, and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981, or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallU.
Basketball Hall of Fame Media Contact
Patrick O'Connell, Position Sports // mediarelations@positionsports.com
