Asia Durr named ACC Preseason Player of the Year

University of Louisville junior guard Asia Durr has been selected as the 2017-18 Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by the league's coaches.

In addition to the award, Durr, senior Myisha Hines-Allen and freshman Dana Evans earned All-ACC preseason honors from both the league's coaches and the Blue Ribbon Panel, the conference's media and sports information directors.

Durr and Hines-Allen were named Preseason All-ACC, while Evans was one of five players named to the Newcomer Watch List.

It marks the second straight season that a Louisville student-athlete has earned ACC Player of the Year honors, as Hines-Allen earned the award prior to her junior season.

Collectively, Louisville was picked to finish second by the league's 15 coaches, with one first place vote, while the Blue Ribbon Panel also pegged the Cardinals second, with five first place votes. Notre Dame was chosen to win the conference's title in both polls.

The Cardinals went 29-8 overall and 12-4 in ACC play in 2016-17. They are coming off their seventh NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in school history, all under the guidance of head coach Jeff Walz.

Walz has guided Louisville to a 263-94 mark and nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 seasons. Twice, he directed the Cardinals to the national championship game.

Last season, Durr became the school's 28th 1,000-point scorer and broke the program's single-season record with 119 3-pointers, while extending her school record for consecutive games with a trey to 39 contests.

She played in 36 games, all starts, averaging 19.2 points, which ranked fourth in school history, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-pt range. Following the season, she was named WBCA honorable mention All-American and first team All-ACC.

Hines-Allen produced 13.9 points on 49 percent shooting and 9.3 rebounds per game a year ago. She tallied 17 double-doubles, tying the school's single-season record, set twice by Angel McCoughtry. Her 336 rebounds in 2016-17 are third most in a season in program history.

The Montclair, N.J., native ranks ninth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,482 points and sixth on the school's career list in field goals (634) and rebounds (778).

Evans, a point guard out of Gary, Ind., ranked ninth overall in the class of 2017, according to espnW HoopGurlz. During her senior season, she averaged 35.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 4.8 steals, and was named a McDonald's All-American and Jordan Brand All-Star Selection. She ranks fifth in Indiana high school history with 2,832 career points. Louisville opens its 2017-18 campaign on Nov. 10 at home against Southeast Missouri in the first round of the 2017 Preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament.