Feb. 26, 2013

BERKELEY - California junior Gennifer Brandon has been selected as one of 20 players named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's 2013 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List, the USBWA announced Tuesday.

The USWBA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is presented annually to the women's national player of the year as voted on by the organization's membership. The award will be presented at the NCAA Women's Final Four in New Orleans on Sunday, April 7.

Brandon, a redshirt junior forward, has had an All-American season thus far and averages 12.7 points and 11.3 rebounds for the Bears. The Sylmar, Calif., native has solidified herself not only as one of the top post players, but as one of the top players overall in the country with her dominating efforts throughout the season that includes a 23-point, 26-rebound effort against USC - a mark that ranks second in the NCAA this season for rebounds in a single game and broke a 19-year old Pac-12 record for rebounds in a conference game. Despite a season average of just 28 minutes played per game - and as a player who has seen action for 35-plus minutes only five times this year for the No. 6 Golden Bears - Brandon ranks No. 15 in the NCAA with her 11.3 rebounds per game and is one of just 16 players in the country to average at least 12 points and 11 rebounds a game.

Brandon is No. 3 in the Pac-12 active rebounding list with 927 career boards and is No. 12 on the NCAA's active list with a 9.8 career rebounding average despite a career average of just 24.7 minutes per game. She has pulled down 19 double-doubles this season and has been honored as a WBCA Wade Trophy Watch List selection this season as well.

Brandon, one of nine juniors and one of two players from the Pac-12, is joined on the list by Kayla Alexander (Syracuse), Alex Bentley (Penn State), Kelsey Bone (Texas A&M), Elena Delle Donne (Delaware), Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), Stefanie Dolson (UCONN), Kelly Faris (UCONN), Angel Goodrich (Kansas), Chelsea Gray (Duke), Brittney Griner (Baylor), Tianna Hawkins (Maryland), Maggie Lucas (Penn State), A'dia Matthies (Kentucky), Kaleena Mosqueda-Lweis (UCONN), Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford), Niveen Rasheed (Princeton), Odyssey Sims (Baylor), Alyssa Thomas (Maryland) and Elizabeth Williams (Duke).

California returns to the court this weekend with the regular season finale at Washington State on Thursday and at Washington on Saturday. The Bears (25-2, 15-1 Pac-12) are in search of the first Pac-12 championship in program history.