Aari McDonald

Scouting Report

One of the quickest players in the world, Aari McDonald is a blur on the court. She is an aggressive guard that is always in attack mode. She has become a viable 3 level scorer, but excels getting downhill. Defensively, she is a menace and drives offensive players crazy with her constant pressure.

• Arizona career leader in points per game
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Third all-time on the Arizona scoring list
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Arizona single-season and single-game scoring records
• Third overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft
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2021 Pac-12 Player of the Year
• Three-time AP All-American
• Two-time WBCA All-American
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Two-time USBWA All-American
• 2020 & 2021 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
• Three-time All-Pac-12
Three-time Pac-12 All-Defense
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Six-time Pac-12 Player of the Week
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2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Winner
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2019 Arizona Athletics Female Co-Sophomore of the Year
• 2017 Pac-12 All-Freshman
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Two-Time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week

SENIOR (2020-21)
2021 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Co-Defensive Player of the Year … WBCA, Associated Press and USBWA All-American … Arizona's first Conference Player of the Year since Adia Barnes (1998) … First Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year since Chiney Ogwumike … Only player in conference history to lead the league in scoring and steals three years in a row … Scored in double-figures in every game she played at Arizona (93 games) … Averaged 24.8 points on 47% shooting from the field and 48% from three in the NCAA Tournament … Made 19 three-pointers combined in the last four NCAA Tournament games … Had two 30-point games in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight … Had double-doubles in the Second Round and the Elite Eight … Led the team in scoring (20.6), assists (4.0), steals (2.6) and made threes (59) … Had four 30-point games … Had at least three steals in 14 games … Recorded three double-doubles on the season … Scored her 2,000th career point on Jan. 22 vs. Utah … Drafted third overall by the Atlanta Dream, Arizona’s highest draft pick in school history.

REDSHIRT JUNIOR (2019-20)

The winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which recognizes the top shooting guard in the country ... Was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year ... Was named an All-American by the WBCA ... Became Arizona’s first first-team All-American in program history ... Was a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and the USBWA ... Became the first Wildcats to be named second-team or better by the Associated Press ... Was a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, the Honda Award and the Wade Trophy ... Was also a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year ... Set the Arizona single-game scoring record with 44 points at Texas (Nov. 17) to become the first player in school history to score 40 points in a game ... Was named the ESPNw and USBWA Player of the Week on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 ... Was named Pac-12 Player of the Week on Nov. 18 and Feb. 3 ... Led the Pac-12 in scoring (20.6) and steals (2.3) for the second year in a row and became the first player in Pac-12 history to do so ... Scored in double-figures in all 29 games she played in to give her 66-straight games in double-figures, the longest active streak in the nation ... Averaged 24 points per game vs. top-25 teams ... Was tied for the team lead with 42 made three-pointers ... Finished the season with 596 points, the fourth-most in school history ... Her 20.6 points per game is the third-highest in program history ... Led the Pac-12 in free throw makes and attempts ... Scored 34 points vs. Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament for the second year in a row ... Was named to the All-Pac-12 Tournament Team ... Had a career-high 14 assists vs. PVAMU (Nov. 20) and was one rebound shy of her first-career triple-double.

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE (2018-19)

Was named an Associated Press and WBCA Honorable Mention All-American ... Is the first Wildcat since Davellyn Whyte (2012) to be named an All-American ... Broke Adia Barnes’ single-season scoring record (890) ... Finished the season as the third-leading scorer in the nation with 24.1 points per game ... Scored the fourth-most points in Pac-12 history ... Tied the single-game scoring record in her second game as a Wildcat against Loyola Marymount (11/13/18) ...Scored 34 points against Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament, the most by an Arizona player ... Was named All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defense ... Was a three-time Pac-12 Player of the Week ... Is the only player since 2000 with 800 points, 200 rebounds, 150 assists and 90 steals in one season ... Is one of two players (Kelsey Plum) in Pac-12 history to have 800 points and 150 assists in one season ... Broke the school records for free throws made and attempted (203-269) ... Is the first Wildcat to have eight 30-point games in one season as well as three-straight ... Finished the season second in the Pac-12 in steals per game (2.5) and ninth in assists per game (4.6) ... Had five double-doubles ... Scored in double-figures in every game ... Was second on the team in rebounds per game (6.5) ... Finished with the most made three-pointers in a season (65) since Davellyn Whyte (2013) ... Most assists in a season (172) since Reshea Bristol (2001), which is also the fourth-most in school history ... Tied Bristol for most steals in a season (96) ... Played the most minutes in one season (1,322) ... Is one of two sophomores in school history to start more than 33 games (Sam Thomas) ... Had the third-most rebounds of any sophomore in school history, training just Shawntinice Polk and Ify Ibekwe ... Had a career-high eight steals against Colorado (1/4).

SOPHOMORE (2017-18)
Sat out her sophomore year due to NCAA transfer rules.

BEFORE ARIZONA

McDonald transferred from the University of Washington, where she was named to the 2017 Pac-12 All-Freshman team and was their third-leading scorer behind WBCA All-Americans Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor. Additionally, McDonald was named a finalist for the U19 U.S. World Cup Team and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the week twice last season. Regarded as one of the top freshman point guards in the country, she played in 28 games last season while starting in 21 of them. She averaged just under 10 points per game while shooting 47% from the field in 24.1 minutes per game while scoring in double-figures 12 times last season with a season-high 23 against CSUN. In the NCAA Tournament, McDonald averaged 13.7 points per game.

HIGH SCHOOL 
McDonald was the No. 51 player in the country and the seventh-ranked point guard by prospectsnation.com while averaging 26.3 points and 9.3 rebounds as a junior at Brookside Christian High School. The Fresno, Calif. native was named to the MaxPreps All-State Third Team in California, was a first-team selection for Division IV and was the Stockton Record All-Area Player of the Year. During her junior year, she had six triple-doubles, a quadruple-double and scored 46 points in one game.