Washington Huskies third-year guard Avery Howell is one of 20 women's basketball players named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award preseason watchlist, announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The award is given to the nation's top shooting guard and carries a stacked field heading into the 2026-27 season. Alongside Howell on the preseason watchlist are 2025-26 winner Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt, Howell's former teammate and two-time winner JuJu Watkins at USC, Michigan's Syla Swords, LSU's MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Tessa Johnson of preseason No. 1 South Carolina.

Howell led all players in the Big Ten with 6.8 defensive rebounds per game, averaging 8.3 total rebounds and 14.2 points while shooting 43.1 percent from three, all of which was good for an All-Big Ten honorable mention in her first season on Montlake. A 22-point, 16-rebound performance against then-No. 6 Michigan on New Year's Day salted away an upset win for the Huskies and earned her USBWA National Player of the Week honors.

The third-year guard again rose to the occasion in the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first Huskies player to score at least 30 points in a tournament game since 2017. Howell sank 7 threes in that game, which came against South Dakota State in the first round, which is tied for the third-highest mark in NCAA Tournament history.

Fans can vote for the award, as well as the other positional awards given to both men's and women's players, beginning October 30 at this link. The 20-player watchlist will be whittled to 10 in February before the final five finalists are named in March.

Washington opens their season on Monday morning against UC San Diego at 11:00 a.m. PT in Alaska Airlines Arena.