The DePaul power forward is in some pretty exclusive company with the women's basketball elite that includes South Carolina Player of the Year frontrunner 6-foot, 5-inch Aliyah Boston, Kansas State's 6-6 center Ayoka Lee, Baylor's 6-4 NaLyssa Smith and 6-3 Angel Reese from Maryland.
Morrow has earned the distinction with a breakout season in which she has been hailed as the best freshman in the nation by ESPN. She is the only rookie and lone BIG EAST candidate to make the cut.
Defensively, she is No. 5 in the country in steals, No. 9 in defensive rebounds and No. 27 (first in the BIG EAST) in blocked shots.
Rebounding is such a critical component to sustaining defensive stands, shutting down opportunities for second-chance points.
And nobody in the entire country rebounds better than Morrow. The versatile 6-1 inside force leads the NCAA in total rebounds, rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game.
That's just part of Morrow's amazing introduction to the world of elite college basketball. The 13-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week leads the nation in field goals and double-doubles (26). Her streak of 23 double-doubles in a row makes her one of only four players in NCAA women's basketball history to achieve that distinction.
She is a finalist for both the Wooden Player of the Year Award and the Naismith Player of the Year Award. After finishing her first BIG EAST season, Morrow broke 11 records for conference games only.
Just one day before being named a Defensive Player of the Year finalist, Morrow scored a career-high 41 points and hauled down 18 rebounds in a crucial BIG EAST victory at Creighton. It was two points shy of the BIG EAST's all-time, single-game scoring record and one away from DePaul's all-time record.
On the season, Morrow is averaging 21.5 points, 14 rebounds, 2.6 steals and nearly two blocks a game.
Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul
Angel Reese, Maryland
Ayoka Lee, Kansas St.
Cameron Brink, Stanford
Emily Engstler, Louisville
Lorela Cubaj, Georgia Tech
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
Tamari Key, Tennessee
Veronica Burton, Northwestern
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