Rayah Marshall named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist
The USC Trojans women’s basketball team is heading into the Pac-12 Tournament all but locked into the field of 68. A couple of wins this week will improve their seed, and the turnaround from Londay Gottlieb’s team has been fantastic.
One bright spot has been Rayah Marshall, who was named as a Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist in what has been a strong season for her.
Here is the full list of semifinalists:
Brea Beal, South Carolina
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Cameron Brink, Stanford
Brooke Flowers, St. Louis
Taiyanna Jackson, Kansas
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul
Angel Reese, LSU
Celeste Taylor, Duke
Marshall has been terrific all season for USC. She is averaging 12.5 PPG with 8.9 rebounds. She is only a sophomore, too.
The Trojans begin the Pac-12 Tournament with a game Wednesday night against the Oregon State Beavers, and while that’s usually a good matchup, the Beavers just stunned Arizona on Saturday night to finish out the regular season.
If Marshall plays well over the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, she could end up as a finalist for this award.
Here’s an example of how active Marshall is on the defensive end.
Rayah Marshall already with her 4th block in the game!
📺: Pac-12 Los Angeles
📲: https://t.co/6Z0lkviCc4 pic.twitter.com/LI0yLphAON— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) February 24, 2023
Big time recognition for a big time player.
Congratulations to Rayah Marshall on being named a Naismith Women's College Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist! 🗜✌️ pic.twitter.com/SxtD8l1J7d
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) February 27, 2023
