NEW YORK (Jan. 30, 2024) ---
Unique Drake of St. John's University has been named Division I Women’s Player of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
The designation, for games played Jan. 22-28, is unique in that it encompasses players from 21 Met area Division I schools.
This was the second MBWA accolade for Drake this season, having been previously honored on Jan. 9.
A 5-7 senior guard from Columbia, SC, Drake averaged 20.7 points in a 2-1 week for the Red Storm (13-9, 7-3), which is in third place in the Big East Conference.
On Thursday at DePaul, Drake fired up 36 points --- including 18 points in the two overtime periods --- as St. John’s came away with an 83-77 victory. She shot 46.2% both from the floor (12-of-26) and from beyond the arc (6-of-13). Her 36 points were the most by a Red Storm player since 1995 and tied for the third-most in program history.
After opening the week on Monday with eight points and four rebounds in a 79-66 overtime loss at Seton Hall, Drake closed the week at home on Sunday, registering a team-high 18 points to help SJU edge Georgetown 57-56.
Players receiving MBWA Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton; Ines Giminez-Monserrat, Manhattan; Abbey Hsu, Columbia; Jada Leonard, Saint Peter’s; Ny’Ceara Pryor, Sacred Heart.
Previous MBWA 2023-24 Division I Women’s Players of the Week: Dec. 5,
Abbey Hsu, Columbia; Dec. 12,
Abbey Hsu, Columbia; Dec. 19,
Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton; Jan. 9,
Unique Drake, St. John's; Jan. 16,
Gigi Gonzalez. Stony Brook; Jan. 23,
Ny'Ceara Pryor, Sacred Heart.